I don't like school buses. It's mainly because of the lack of seat belts. But I also wonder why, in an age of childhood obesity becoming too common and people of all ages not getting enough exercise, parents don't walk their kids to school more often when it's a reasonable distance from home. Certainly, time is a factor for many who are struggling to get on the road in order to make it on time to work. But for the rest who don't have to work for money or work from home, this is a big opportunity to develop good habits.

My neighbors and I were just talking the other day about raising kids who are physically fit and finding ways to fit exercise into their lives. One of them said, "All I care is that they learn to make a habit of moving around for 30 minutes a day for the rest of their lives."

I actually timed out the walk to and from the local elementary school a while back. My kid is just short of 3 years old, so we've got some time before this is an issue. Still, I was curious. Low and behold, it's 30 minutes, round-trip.

Of course another neighbor pointed out the social aspect of the bus and how they would miss out on going to school with all their friends. I've been thinking about it. And I've been getting this image in my mind of a big parade of kids, parents in tow, walking down the street to school with their hearts pumping. It could happen.