Our Bus Party Tradition

The year my sister’s firstborn was in kindergarten, a family tradition began.    

That first “bus party” led to another, and another, until the wheels on the bus had gone round and round, carrying us 20-some years down the road.  

What’s a bus party? It’s simple. 

Nothing more than a few treats, a pitcher of lemonade, a blanket in the grass and a few crazy adults clapping and cheering “bus party!” — all in celebration of our kids and another great year.       

Every year we get a few laughs (or questioning glances) from the bus driver (we seem to have a new one every year) but we win her over by sharing our treats. (Or maybe, not wanting to take any chances that the behavior is linked to the brownies, she actually chucks it out the window when she’s out of sight. Either way, it’s fun.)    

Our kids have come to expect this silliness from the adults in their lives (moms, grandma, dads and even uncles get in on the bus party), but they still look sheepish as they descend the steps. Try as they might, they can’t hold back laughter.

Demonstrative affection triumphs over embarrassment!

As the bus pulls away, we eat goodies. We talk about the day, memories of the year, and look ahead to the summer road that stretches out before us, beckoning us to be free spirits.

Best of all, we bond.

My sisters are also my neighbors, so the bus party tradition is something everyone in our neighborhood-family has embraced. Once upon a time, there were more little ones on the blanket than on the bus. Then there were more on the bus than on the blanket. When my nieces and nephews were in high school, they’d stop by to greet their younger cousins. 

We only did the bus party for the younger kids, and last year, our youngest finished elementary school. She protested, "The last bus party?"

It appears the tradition will continue. 

For middle-schoolers. High-schoolers. Into the next generation.

My nephew, that little boy who started it all, is now a daddy. The wheels on the bus have turned long enough that soon, his baby girl will go to kindergarten. Great Auntie will have to make the trek to her bus party!

A simple event created so many wonderful memories. 

There was the year Grandma danced in the rain, greeting the kids while everyone else sought shelter. And the time someone brought a desk out to the end of the driveway. How about when Uncle Darrin tainted the rice crispy treats with Funyons, securing his place in the Bus Party Lore Hall of Fame?      

The children in our family have gained confidence to venture forth on their own, even as they know how much they are valued at home. Here’s the icing on the bus party cake:  Together we’ve experienced a sense of community that some in our day may never understand.

Success calls for celebration, even if it’s just an ordinary day, like the last day of school.

Or the first. (Truth be told, we do the bus party twice a year.)

End of year or beginning, we’ll take any excuse for a party, but everyone agrees that it’s best to keep the Funyons away from Uncle Darrin.