Tell the Driver to have her home by lunch

While the girls ride the bus to school every day with all the other neighborhood kids, we have Ella brought home in her private 24 foot limo right to our curb at the end of her school day. Because that's how we roll. Just her and the driver, who makes sure she gets home for lunch. Lest you think I'm exaggerating, here's the proof:

 

Ok, maybe it's a school bus and not a limo, but since she is the only kid on the bus route, it's still a private ride home from school each day. She's one of only 4 half day kindergarteners at school and I guess she's the only one who rides the bus. (I hope there isn't a different bus just for one of the other three kids, though that does sound very much like something they would do in Illinois.) We'll finally concede to fork over the dough to send her full day once the new year begins; I guess we'll be putting someone out of a job, though, ironically, we'll be paying extra to do it.

Seeing only one kid on the bus when it pulls up reminds me a bit of the last day of my junior year in high school, when I was the only kid on the bus going to school that day. I wasn't totally shocked to be the only one waiting for the bus - there were usually only 5 or 6 of us anyway, but when I stepped on to the bus and saw all those empty seats it really sunk in how lame I was. Of course, I just had to remind myself that this was just the easiest way to meet up with my friends that morning so we could go hang out all day.

(For extra credit, you can speculate on whether the cost of busing one kid home each day is actually greater than the cost of sending that kid to the rest of the day of kindergarten. Yes, I know that only comes into play because she's the only one, but it still feels pretty ridiculous.)