Bus Stop Chronicles

Most days, you can hear “I love you,” in no fewer than six languages at my kids’ school bus stop - Spanish, Czech, Romanian, at least one Asian dialect and an African dialect. Oh yeah – and English. I love the diversity of our bus stop. I love that my kids are exposed to so many cultures before 9:00 am each day. But most of all, I love that the kids at our bus stop smile, wave and blow kisses to their parents completely unabashed as the bus pulls away.


Picture day is one of my very favorite days at the bus stop. Girls in frilly dresses and tights with hair that’s been curled and tied back in bows. Boys in button-front shirts tucked neatly into their pants, hair slicked down and combed. Faces scrubbed clean of any breakfast remnants.  They’re a vision of loveliness. But what I like most of all about picture day is watching these same kids come home at the end of the day far more dirty, rumpled, untucked, torn and disheveled than any regular day. They look terrific. I personally think that’s when we should take the picture.

One morning not long ago, I broke up a fist fight between two boys at our bus stop. As I walked away, Ben asked the group that had gathered to watch, "Who thinks my mom is the most embarrassing mom in the world?" Nearly everyone raised his hand. I hid my grin and offered no comment.

The bus pulled up right about then and the kids filed on. Mine each found a window seat and waved, blew kisses and made sign language “I love yous” in full view of their friends, as they do every morning. And I waved back, blew kisses and mouthed the words “I love you,” as I do every morning.  Because while breaking up a fist fight or yelling at kids to get out of the street in my finest southern accent is embarrassing, remarkably no one is the least bit chagrined by this gushy display of affection.

I’m one lucky mom.