Wisconsin bus driver gives comfort to young boy on first day of school

Credit: Taken/Pixabay

Credit: Taken/Pixabay

Children react differently to the first day of school. Many are excited, but others might be scared or intimidated. That is especially true for a child riding the bus for the first time.

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A Wisconsin boy was one of those children having first-day jitters, but a kind bus driver helped him conquer his anxiety, WEAU reported.

Amy Johnson, of Augusta, wanted to capture the first trip of her son, Axel, as the boy climbed aboard the bus to head for his first day of kindergarten. The picture she snapped was heartwarming and made the rounds on social media, the television station reported.

The photo shows bus driver Isabel Lane reaching back to hold Axel's hand reassuringly, WEAU reported.

"He was all smiles when he saw me around the corner and I started to slow down and that's when you could see his face start to change,” Lane told the television station.

Axel would not board the bus without his mother's help, Johnson said. Once the child was seated, he tried to follow his mother back outside.

"She had set him down in the seat, and he kept trying to grab for her as she was trying to get off the bus, so I just stuck my hand behind the seat," Lane told WEAU.

Johnson quickly snapped a photo of the gesture.

"I was just more into that I wanted that perfect picture and whether he was crying or not I just snapped it," Johnson told WEAU.

Lane did not give her actions a second thought, but it made a big impact on Axel.

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal personally, just I guess it's just something that I would do," Lane told WEAU. "The day after that he was waiting at the bus stop all by himself, he got on all smiles and talking to me the whole time, so he is doing much better now.

"I think it kind of goes for anyone. If you see someone maybe struggling, just to do something as simple as reaching out a hand and showing that you are there. You don't have to say anything, but just to show someone you are there makes a big difference in someone's day."

It certainly worked in Axel's case.

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