Field Trip
Baby Hulk, Happiness, parenting | 2 Comments » | Posted in
Today was Baby Hulk’s first field trip of the school year.
And he stayed home with me.
Yes, it makes me happier than anyone can probably realize that he wanted to be with us rather than go on a field trip.
After lunch today, I caught him looking at me through the rear view mirror. “I love you, mom.” Then “thanks for letting me stay home with you today.” And that sweet, sweet face of his with such a serious look.
Heart melt…Another “if I cried moment”. (This is why I blog, to record that I have actual feelings about things.)
I’ll be fair: he seems happy most of the time at school. And I’m glad.
I am.
I don’t want a miserable child. That said, the fact that he wanted to spend a free day with me made me so happy.
He planned the day: we went to the Audubon and had a unit on Owls. He charmed the docents while there and told them he’d try and return, but that he was in school now. He requested Double Dave’s pizza buffet with my parents. They must miss him too because there wasn’t a complaint about how far they’d have to drive for a pretty quick lunch. He came home and we read, played and made a journal entry about our time at the sanctuary. All too soon it was time to pick up Goose and Squirt which meant our day was coming to an end.
And end it did. His lunch is packed with a sweet note for him to read tomorrow. He’s sleeping after having several stories and ending our night with a poem about owls. I cherish this time. How I wish I could hold that sweet look in my heart forever, remember the trust and innocence on his face.
I had a couple of parents let me know they didn’t agree with my decision to keep Baby Hulk home from school today. I will never force my kids to attend a freaking field trip. I’m fine with my decision to let him stay home today. In fact, it was an easy decision to spend a day with my son. We both learned more today than had he been at school.
So today, I’m thankful for a chance to have a field trip with my son.
From Nikki Andrews:
WTH is up with the parents at this school? I am starting to think these kids are at the wrong school. I would NEVER think to go up to one of the parents in my kid’s class and say “I don’t agree with blah blah blah that you do with your kid.” Who does that????? And why aren’t you constantly b!tchslapping these people?
Hulk is so charming and so cute and so sweet and so smart. I could go on and on. I pray that he brings home a nice girl one day. 🙂
I’m sure I will still hate her.
From Shea:
OK, seriously. What was the argument against keeping him home from a field trip? One that I happen to know was only marginally educational.
Kate is doing swimming lessons through the school district for the next 10 days. I’m offended by this as a mom because it means I have to deal with matted hair that dried without being brushed every afternoon for the next ten days. I’m offended as an educator because it’s a minimum of 20 hours of lost instructional time (bus transportation to pool, changing into and out of bathing suit time, the actual lesson. . . ). I’m offended as a taxpayer because I don’t think this is a good use of money. If I didn’t work I’d be taking her into school after lunch each day just to avoid it all, and maybe to spend time with her on understanding decimals, which she clearly does not. So I say, good move on your part.
Additional note: Kate is an All-Star swimmer. So she needs this like she needs a hole in her head.