Alyssa had her first-ever field trip this morning. Her preschool class went to a local orchard, where they went on a hayride, checked out an apple cleaning machine, watched a video, heard a story, picked out pumpkins, and then settled down for apple cider and sourdough pretzels. Alyssa wasn’t interested in having any apple cider, which is good because I arrived right at snack time to pick her up and then run like a lunatic back down to the preschool to pick up Ryan, since Dan had to work this morning. I got a few weird looks from the other parents, presumably because I deprived my child of a snack she wasn’t interested in having in the first place. These were the same parents who gave me dirty looks this morning when I dropped Alyssa off for her field trip and then left, instead of sticking around to go on the field trip with her. The letter that went home with the kids gave parents the option to accompany their kids, or simply drop them off and then return for them at the designated time. I was all for the latter. I want to do a hayride with Alyssa, but I want to do it with Dan and Ryan as well (we’ll hopefully do that later this week or early next week).
Besides, Alyssa’s a big girl now, and she does just fine with preschool on her own. She never expressed interested in me attending, and even if she had I would have let her know that I couldn’t, because I had things to do while she and her brother were in school (which I did, and I did do them). Meh. I guess I’m one of those parents that doesn’t feel the need, let alone the desire, to be with the kids for every single thing they do. Independence, yes, I can haz!
Those parents should have saved their dirty looks for the mother who lets her four year old child ride in the front passenger seat, unrestrained, without a seat belt. I knew her in high school and she was dumb as bricks then, but you would think something as basic as a SEAT BELT would ring a bell with her, since obviously the whole keep-your-child-in-the-back-and-in-a-booster ( until a child turns seven, per state law) doesn’t compute. Apparently she hasn’t given much thought to the fact that if she were to get in an accident her daughter would rocket out of that windshield and smash her head on the ground. Or, at best, the airbag would deploy and seriously injure her. I really want to say something to this woman. Nicely, mind you… a head’s up type of gesture. I think I will, the next time I see her at the preschool. I’m not one to beat around the bush, especially where a child’s safety is involved.
So anyway. I was at my mother’s house this morning, and without getting into detail, let’s just say that I’m very tempted to submit her application to Hoarders. And if there were some type of reality show that focused on the atrocities of pet owners who don’t enforce any type of housebreaking or at least designated area for shitting and pissing in the house, I’d submit her application to that too. *sigh* I really don’t know what happened to her… it’s sad and infuriating. Sad, because she’s my mother and I hate to see how she’s gone downhill. Infuriating, because I seriously get some panty-waddage going on over the audacity of her to expect me to help her clean up that shithole because “I’m your mother” and “I asked nicely”.
Kudos to you for not being a helicopter Mom. EFF THAT. Alyssa will be so much better off with a little independence in life. Who knows where I would be if I had been raised with some?!
Jenn. if you help her clean it up and she gets the boys back, then she’ll expect you to keep helping her clean it so they don’t get taken away. Better to just let her be a big girl now and do it on her own. She can get help from social services for that problem, and I think you are right on with the hoarders app.
About the judging mom looks. Welcome to the world of mommyhood, especially if you have a girl. The mothers of other girls tend to be really catty and when Alyssa gets in a class with one of the their little brats that it has rubbed off on you will want to pull your hair out.
There’s one girl at school who cried her eyes out every day because mommy couldn’t let her be a big girl yet and so mommy got to be room mother. Still, in first grade now she arrives late to school to walk her child in and arrives at least 30 mins early to pick her up inside the building. I saw that and said NO WAY am I breeding one of those. I actually want Sydney to attend college some day and not have to have me living in the closet. Plus, hello, my freedom rocks too!
Aww that’s awesome.
Hope she enjoyed it. We’ve been sending our son on his field trips by himself because the school wants to much money per head. It’s ridiculous. But at least the kids have fun and get to get out of the classroom and do something different.
I think it is fine to let your daughter go alone with the school, it’s not like she is by herself, kids need to learn on their own, oh well you can’t please everyone.