SF mom: Taking Muni alone is good for kids

I’ve always loved how urban kids seem to have a unique worldview. This week, a San Francisco mom wrote about what taking Muni alone has done for her 11-year-old daughter. From SFGate:

After my daughter started taking San Francisco’s Muni train alone last summer at age 11 (and four months to be exact), I noticed a change in her step. As she walked down the hill from our house to the J stop, she moved her legs methodically and with determination. That floppy childish gait and tendency to meander along the sidewalk, stopping to pick up the random leaf or odd trinket, was gone. She was now walking in a straight line and held her head high.

The writer goes on to say that the “independent sojourns through the city gave [her] daughter a new confidence and she was suddenly tuned into her surroundings. She first learned to look both ways before crossing the street at age 3, but now she was actually doing it because she’d become fully responsible for her own well-being.” When growing up in San Francisco means learning your ABCs from Muni, it’s super cool to hear about how kids gain their air of confidence from experiences like the ones Muni has in store for us all.

P.S. Parents had lots to say about Muni when we surveyed them for helpful tips for kids riding the bus, from toddlers (tip: be polite like this apologetic dad) to teenagers (tip: get a cellphone and don’t do this). Got more tips and stories? We want to know!

Join us at Muni Diaries Live on Saturday, April 18, for a night of true, hilarious, weird, and sweet stories that can only happen on Muni! Grab a ticket and we’ll see you there!

Photo by tedd4u