Greetings and Happy Holidays!

Every afternoon I sit in the bus and wait for the kids to be let out of school. To pass the time I play my Baby Taylor guitar. Sometimes parents will stop by with their little ones to listen, chat about music, or request a song. Sometimes the kids will offer comments. Here are a few from the youngsters:

“You should play rock n roll! You go like this (playing air guitar), na na na nana na na nana. And then you scream!”

Another student walked by, then turned around and said, “Are you a bus driver with a double life?” I LOVE that comment! I said, “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.”

Last week at the high school I saw a boy who used to ride my bus to middle school. Due to the nature of the schedule, I seldom had time to take out my guitar at the middle school. I’d arrive to meet the mad stampede of tweens as the other buses were getting ready to pull out. This young man didn’t know I was a guitar player.

He stopped to say hello and listened to me play for a bit. Then he said, “Dude, you have mad skills! You should quit your day job and be a professional musician!”

I thanked him for the vote of confidence and said, “I am a professional musician. I’m also a bus driver and I’m not quitting my day job any time soon.”

 

One of my pre-k or kindergarten students was excited about having a pizza party. He was asking everyone to come to his pizza party, including Mr. Bus Driver Man Sir.

I said, “Thank you for the invitation, but I can’t eat the pizza. Will you have broccoli? I’ll eat the broccoli.”

The child replied, “No! No broccoli! Just pizza!”

Then a little pre-k girl said, “You can come to my broccoli party, Mr. Bus Driver Man Sir!”

 

A six-year-old boy got on the bus at his stop one morning. As we passed his house he said, “See the blue truck at my house? We don’t use it because my dad got it for me.”

I said, “Wow, your very own truck?! Why don’t YOU drive it?”

He said, “Because I’m not ten yet!”

 

I was playing some Christmas songs on my guitar one afternoon as the little ones were boarding. I decided to change the words.

I sang, “Frosty the Meatball…”

The kids protested, ”No! It’s Snowman!”

I said, “Oh, Okay. I’ve got it now.” I sang, “Snowman the Meatball…”

More, louder protests, ”No, no, no! It’s Frosty the Snowman!”

Then a little four-year-old boy said, “You’re silly, Mr. Bus Driver Man Sir.”

I was surprised because I had never heard this boy say more than a word or two. He was very loquacious that afternoon.

I said, “You sing it now.”

I played and he sang, “Frosty the Spiderman…”

I said, “Oh, you’re silly too!”

He smiled and nodded in agreement.

I said, “Let’s play some more.”

He sang, “Frosty the Spiderman, is a very sticky man, with a mask on his head…”

Then he paused, trying to come up with the next line.

I added, “…and a handful of web, he’ll catch you if he can.”

Then we sang it together:

Frosty the Spiderman, is a very sticky man

With a mask on his head and a handful of web

He’ll catch you if he can!

 

A 5^th grader in the back of the bus drew a picture of the world on a piece of paper. He held the paper up and crumbled it as he declared, “This is the world and it just goes up into happiness!”

 

Happy Holidays, and may your world go up into happiness!