Parents Transportation Woes

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MasterPuppeteer

Just posting a "woe is me" post. My almost-6 yo DD's coach moved her up one level at the start of the summer. Yay, right? She's improving. Coach made it a point to say DD has lots of promise. The problem? The class, which is twice a week for 1.5 hours each, starts at 4 pm. How am I supposed to get DD to class? DH and I both work full-time and we have no other means of reliable transportation to and from the gym.

So what did I do today? Sneaky me took off from work early and sat for the very first time in the bleachers with the other moms in DD's class. Made it a point to be friendly, learned everybody's names, found out where everybody lives, in the hopes that I can ask one of them to carpool. And it looks bleak. Everyone has multiple kids and I hate to ask them to transport DD when they're already lugging around 2nd and/or 3rd child with them. Plus no one lives within a mile of us! Everyone would have to really go out of their way to pick up DD!

Sigh...what to do, what to do? Any other ideas? If only gymnastics gyms offered bus transportation from elementary schools like martial arts places do! :-(
 
I have to say I am very lucky, my two girls train on different days MOn-Sat, during the week the school bus drops them at the gym door. If that didn't happen I would be driving 45 mins to pick up at school, then either driving back home and then back again in 3 hours!!!

I feel for you, fitting gym in to family life as girls advance to team is a huge challenge.
 
Can you shift your work hours earlier? Or leave and work on the gym wifi twice a week?

Have you asked the coach to check the roster for parents living in x, y, and z areas?

Can you offer some money to another pre-team parent to do driving? A SAHM paying for gym may very likely love the opportunity.

Have you looked at gyms that might offer a more convenient schedule or location? I know some pre-team programs do train Sat mornings which would leave you just one problematic day to hire out the driving.

Have you checked with DD's school to see if any family lives near the gym and might be able to carpool her from school to gym?

Have you checked the local YMCA, JCC, or other facility that might have both a bussed-to afterschool program and a gymnastics pre-team and team?

Ideally we'd pick our gyms based on our daughter's optimal experience, but I have to balance both the benefits to her gymnastics progress with factors of money, time, etc. and I'm already a home schooling SAHM. I'm always surveying gymnastics programs at other gyms, I want to know the 411 on all the gyms around here. It's a huge investment of time and money for me, my daughter and son (they have separate gymnastics schedules and are generally on the hook during the other's sched).
 
What we've done is adjust schedules. I do daycare from home so I NEVER get off early (heck, most days I end up working late!), but dh goes to work early (5.30am) on gym days. He comes home early to stay with the boys while I take the girls to gym. We are fortunate that his schedule allows the flexibility!!

It's better now in the summer - during the school year, I had to load five little ones into carseats in the van, drive to school, pick up the girls (normally they ride the bus), drive to a nearby gas station, where the girls would change and do their homework in the car, and meet dh. We'd swap vehicles - him taking the van, me taking the car - and I'd take the kids to gym while he took the daycare kids home. Total pain in the rear, but we make it work.

I know some of the other parents at our gym carpool, some simply contribute gas $ instead of driving if their schedules don't allow them to drive (or their vehicles, for that matter). One girl has Grandpa pick her up and take her - her mom arrives later as her schedule allows.

Ask around. You may be surprised at what other parents are willing to do to help you out if you ask!!
 
some great ideas in the posts above. Definintely talk to the coach. Ask them to get eveyone together and throw ideas around. I think your best bet is to offer another mum money to pick her up for you. Or if another mum takes her for you, could you bring her child home at the end - that way they wouldn't have to stay all practise to watch. That might be godsend to a family with toddlers/ other children who get bored watching for a long time. Good luck, dont give up the answer is out there.
 
I agree! I'm a stay at home Mom who regularly drives other kids to the gym and I have 6 children! Don't cross off Mom's with lots of kids we are used to choas LOL! Love the KId taxi idea we don't have anything like that around here and it would be expensive since things here are so spread out.
Crossing my fingers that your carpooling woes work themselves out!
 
Don't be afraid to ask other parents--there might be some that would be willing to pick your DD up and brng her, if you drive their DD home. I know that's what we did for a few years. (and I have 4 kids, so always have other kids in my car!)
 
During the summer I watch ONLY gym kids or siblings. That makes it possible for me to take DD to the gym and suppliment our income. During the school year I work and I have a friend that picks up DD on her way. She is about 10 miles from our home but DD is only about 1 mile out of the way. I would talk to the parents and coaches you might find a solution that works for you all. The one friend wouldn't take payment so I would purchase a leo for her DD a couple time a year as payment. Best of luck.
 
UPDATE: Hallelujah! ***Does wicked happy dance worthy of SYTYCD*** I have found a solution to my transportation woes! For the summer at least. I put out an APB and sent an email pretty much to every person in my address book, and then some. And one of the ladies in my neighborhood knew someone who knew someone who has a daughter home from college who gets off from her summer job at 3 pm, perfect for taking DD to gymnastics at 4 pm!

Whew! That takes care of summer. Now, onto Fall.

Thank you all for your suggestions! For the fall, I'll be sure to ask the moms in her class.
 
UPDATE: Hallelujah! ***Does wicked happy dance worthy of SYTYCD*** I have found a solution to my transportation woes! For the summer at least. I put out an APB and sent an email pretty much to every person in my address book, and then some. And one of the ladies in my neighborhood knew someone who knew someone who has a daughter home from college who gets off from her summer job at 3 pm, perfect for taking DD to gymnastics at 4 pm!

Whew! That takes care of summer. Now, onto Fall.

Thank you all for your suggestions! For the fall, I'll be sure to ask the moms in her class.


That's wonderful! Glad you found a solution that will work for you.
 

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