Walking to school every day used to be a rite of passage for every child.

Nobody worried about whether they could or would get there. It was assumed they would trudge through all manner of weather-related obstacles to find refuge, friends and a dry desk in the classroom.

Today, it’s a different story. More than half of students are driven to school, no matter what the weather.

Snow days are called not because of teachers, but because parents, driving without snow tires on un-plowed streets, are a danger to themselves and others.

Walking to school on a regular basis is now, especially for elementary school children, an effort that requires stamina, willpower and co-ordination. With many parents working, only the committed can undertake the task on a regular basis.

The result is a generation that believes a car is the only way to get around.

Soon, they will get a wakeup call. Concern about high gas prices, greenhouse gases and the thought that our children will be heavier and less fit than their parents’ generation will pressure us into finding ways to let our children walk to school more often.

But it won’t be easy. It will be the job of committed parents, school administrators and politicians to find ways to make walking to school safe and easy, and to get driving parents on side.

This week, many schools did just that, organizing walking school buses and hosting breakfasts and other events to get parents and kids walking.

No one is naive enough to expect all parents to stop driving, but the connections made this week should at least get parents thinking about options, such as finding ways to share the joy of walking to school with kids.