I have to admit, I was kind of anxious about the idea of sending my kid off on an overnight thing like this. I don't know why - I'm usually a pretty laid back mom, right? (Or am I kidding myself? I don't know. Sometimes it's hard to be that self-reflective.)
Anyways, I was originally bound and determined to chaperone this trip, even if it did mean spending 36 hours with a bunch of crazy-go-nuts 5th graders.
And then we decided to go to Boston. The dunes trip was scheduled for the day after we got back, which would have been terrible timing for me, what with all the post-trip laundry and getting back to real life stuff I would need to do. Plus, I'd be tired. Plus, I wouldn't even be in the same cabin as Josh - I'd be chaperoning a cabin full of girls I probably didn't even know.
(Side note: we would have saved SO much money if we could have flown back from Boston on Monday instead of Sunday. But we knew how much this Dunes trip meant to Josh. So, future Josh who might be reading this should I ever get back into printing my blog books, look how much we love you! About $600 worth!)
So then it became pretty easy to not be as worried about this trip! Suddenly, I wasn't anxious about Josh leaving home! Hah! (Okay, this was probably due more to the info we got at the parent meeting about the trip, plus the fact that I've gotten to know Josh's teacher really well this year. And that Josh has been a super grouch lately. But still, I won't lie and say it was all this.)
I had labeled and packed most everything Josh needed for the Dunes before we left for Boston, but we still had to gather a few things and clothes the night we got home from Boston. It was AWFUL. Josh was so tired and ornery and just miserable to be around. (Why wouldn't he take a nap that afternoon?!? Why?!) ((And why did he keep waking me up from my nap?! Why?!)
So actually, while it initially seemed like bad timing for this trip, it turned out great. I got to get rid of a super-cranky 11 year old for a day and a half! And I didn't even feel bad because I knew he'd behave for his teacher. (And he did.)
His teacher was great about texting the parents about what was going on and even sent some pictures.
Here's Josh at dinner time. They were served chicken fajitas and he even ate them. Which is a miracle, considering how picky that child is. But it might have had something to do with the 4 hour hike they went on that afternoon. That, and a little positive peer pressure. I'm gonna start making that kid hike all the time and inviting his friends over for dinner so he'll eat.
Here he is during the hike.
It's hard to get much info out of a tween boy; he got tired of me asking so many questions! But I did learn that he had lots of fun and was glad he went. He got to be in a cabin with all his best buddies, which made him super happy. He liked all the hiking. They even went on a night hike, no flashlights allowed. Also, he was not happy that I wouldn't let him take his brand new tennis shoes with him, and instead made him take a $10 pair I bought at WalMart last week. Too bad, buddy. I actually spent a bit more than usual on these new shoes for him because he's just wearing the cheaper ones out SO FAST. And the WalMart shoes got totally muddy and gross, so it was the right thing to do. Not that he'd ever admit it.
He was fine for the first 30 minutes after he came home yesterday, but then old grouchy Josh reappeared. It was extra fun because his legs are sore from all the hiking in the sand. Yay! I got him to stop being grouchy for a little while we worked on a study guide for a test he has to take today. (He missed it while we were in Boston.) He was both impressed and annoyed with how much history I remembered about the early American colonies.
I'm glad we live in a school district that does cool things like this for our kids, and I'm glad Josh got to go. (And I'm extra glad I didn't!)
No comments:
Post a Comment