In the largely gray and white wintry landscape, the sight of those tiny school children racing home in their colorful jackets from the stopped yellow buses offers welcome relief from the drab scene and a reminder that these are our future citizens.

The amber and then red lights flash, the red stop sign swings out, the bus stops, and the youngsters with their backpacks and spindly legs pour out of the door and scamper to their homes or to a waiting parent, almost always on a dead run.

It’s a different look in the morning. The children stand, waiting for the bus, a little bleary-eyed from the early rush of getting up, grabbing breakfast and getting out to the road in time. Their backpacks are usually overstuffed and many bend forward slightly in compensation. The approaching bus is a signal to line up, a morning ritual passed on without instruction from one generation to the next.

Forget the impatience at a few moments’ delay and relish the break in a monotonous drive. Be sure to stop and wait until the bus starts up again. Never mind if the bus makes a few more stops before it turns off into a side road. And if some car with an out-of-state license plate (Florida and Massachusetts seem to be the worst offenders) speeds in ahead of you or even passes the stopped school bus, flash your lights in a mild reprimand. In a flagrant case, report the matter to the police.

These are our kids. Go slow and admire them.