You know how us old folks like to talk about our grandkids! Mine (14 y.o. boy) just started high school yesterday. Over the summer he shot up in height and suddenly he's taller than me! He lives in the same house with his parents and me.

Luckily, he still likes to do stuff with grandpa. Carfree stuff, of course, since I don't have a car. So yesterday I walked the mile to his school to pick him up after his first day. He goes to a large inner city school, one of three in Lansing.

The plan was that we would walk downtown (another mile) to eat at Our favorite restaurant, the Grand Traverse Pie Co. I thought this would be a nice treat for him after his first day in the big school. Unfortunately there was a miscommunication, and he went to soccer practice instead of meeting me. So I was left standing in front of this big school as the kids came out after their first day.

Wave after wave of kids came out, almost all dressed in brand new clothes. To pass the time, I decided to watch where they went after they got out of school. About three dozen of them walked into the neighborhoods to the north, east and west. Only two rode bikes. That made me think they weren't allowed to ride, but my grandson told me later that bikes are permitted. The majority of the kids got in cars. They have a special two lane drive where cars were double parked along the entire block in front of the school. I bet the people living there really hate that! Living across from a school would present some challenges, including the traffic issue.

As for my grandson, unless I walk to the school to pick him up, he is driven there and back. We only have one car, so it's rather difficult sometimes, but it gets done. Personally, I would have him walk since its only one mile. My son agrees. Even my grandson, who describes himself as "lazy", has been telling me for a year now that he would prefer to walk sometimes. But my daughter-in-law won't allow it. I guess she thinks the neighborhood is too dangerous.

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Sorry to blather on. Besides liking to talk about my grandson, I do have a purpose for this post.

I'm starting this thread to give people a chance to talk about school problems and issues. I was wondering if other carfree/carlight parents have special issues, as well as any members who are students themselves. For example:

• Do kids take any grief if their parents don't drive?
• Is the route to school safe for walking or cycling?
• How well does public transit work for young people?
• Do carfree kids find it more difficult to participate in after school activities?

You can address any issue you want to, but lets try to limit discussion to elementary, middles school, and high school issues. I think pre-school children and college students would have different sets of issues.