A little bit overprotective...and sort of a brat...

I'm talking about myself. :blush: I signed up to be chaperone for the girls' very first field trip...to an apple orchard. I got a notice today in their backpacks that said they had so many volunteers they had to choose them using the "fair" can. Wasn't me.

So what did I do? Proceeded to cry my eyes out. Why?
Jealous that THOSE PARENTS get to go and I don't.
Fear that my girls will be with the one parent who doesn't pay close attention.
Sadness that they are experiencing something without me that I could have potentially been there for.

I have friends IRL that call me crazy for being so nutso about stuff like this. So let 'em. ardon: I know me, and I won't get over this. I stew and stew and will cry that day. That's just who I am.


Sooo...anyone else a complete freakazoid like me and feel the same? :search:

 

I only volunteered for one field trip last year. It was to the bowling alley and I had my niece come over and hang with LB. With him, it wasn't terribly easy for me to volunteer because I would have had to get a sitter. I did wish I could go on the aquarium trip with them.

I understand your sadness.

 

:hug: You know I get it. And you are not a freak, you are just a mommy who loves her girls & wants to keep them safe. Sorry you don't get to go, I am sure that day will be difficult, but they will be okay & will be excited to tell you all about it when they get home!

Oh, and at least you are still letting them go, I actually know a couple of moms who would keep their kids home if they couldn't go with them on the field trip!

 

Sorry you are sad about it Michelle. :hug: :hug:

 

Michelle, I sent Nolan and Meghan on their field trips with throwaway cameras. Then they can take pictures of themselves, their friends and what they are enjoying about the trip.(And you get to see how much fun they had!)

 

I would be crying right next to you! :hug: I have been on every field trip that I can make it to for my oldest, and my dd just went on her first field trip last week, to the apple farm, and I even hauled the twins with me I cried when I missed some of my oldest son's baseball games the year the twins were born....they were born in feb...baseball started the beginning of march...I had a very good reason for not making it on some of those really cold days, but I still felt awful!

You're just a very good mommy who loves spending time with and making memories with your kids, nothing wrong with that Can I suggest, if the apple farm isn't too far, plan a weekend trip with them in the next couple weeks, so you'll get to see how much they enjoy it for yourself

 

I'd be upset. Upset enough to talk to the teacher and tell her I will use my own car and pay my own way .. and explain that I REALLY want to be there. I don't think it should be a problem.
Around here getting parents to volunteer is like pulling teeth .. they should be happy so many parents want to be involved.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't do this. I am sure there were many parents who wanted to go, and they can only take so many. You really don't want the reputation of the parent who won't let their kids go anywhere without them. We had one parent who made us send updates during an entire field trip. The kid was perfectly fine, and enjoyed the day with her friends. If the teacher has you come, then it isn't fair to the other parents who didn't get picked if you still get to go. There will be plenty of other field trips.

 

:hug: I'm sorry Michelle, I have been there. For field trips here all of a sudden every parents wants to help and chaperone them. They always end up having to draw names. I have put my name in for every field trip for Caroline since kindergarten and have only gotten picked one time, in 2nd grade. It's disappointing and Caroline has been disappointed as well, but it is what it is, they can only take so many parents. Unfortunately it is something that happens when the kids are in school.

I was nervous when Caroline went on her first field trip in kindergarten, (and I was not picked) this was the first time she ride a bus since we walk to school, but she had a great time and I was fine too. I still get sad when I don't get picked, but now I know everyone wants to go on field trips so I don't expect to get picked. ardon:

They will be fine and have a great time and will be so excited to tell you about it. Your day will come when your name will get picked.

 

Thanks ladies. :grouphug: I just needed to know that I'm not crazy and irrational. Not totally anyway.

 

I think it is fine to be upset but taking it past that, you may want to consider you actions. I know you haven't done that. This is our first year to volunteer for field trips. There are only 2 this year. I have no idea if I will be able to go but if my schedule allows, I will volunteer.

 

I understand that it's ok to just say "Oh well .. there will be more trips" but there is also no harm in asking the teacher about chaperoning her own children. I did it when the boys were in K and the field trip was at a children's discovery farm. I took my own van and met up with the class and chaperoned my boys. There was one little girl who had both her parents with her and they did the same thing as I did. I paid my own pay and we all had a great time.

 

I went on one field trip with them in pre-school and being the usual oddball - I'm more than glad I'm probably not going to be able to go on any this year due to school - my kids listen to other people better than us and can be atrocious around a group of kids...

 

Wow, they had that many volunteers? I'd have been devastated if that had ever happened to me. I went on ALL their trips. So I can totally relate to how you're feeling. OTOH, I never got to go on many of Sean's trips because I had B&C at home so I'm gonna tell you that you will survive and so will they!

 

Why can't you still go? An orchard is a wide open space. I would call their teacher and see if you could still join them if you drove yourself to the orchard. Thats how all our field trips work. We can't have parents on the bus so we just follow or meet there. Is there a chance they just had to many to put on the buses?

 

That's what I'm saying !! I say it's worth a shot.

 

I agree with Sharon here. Sure you could call and ask if you could go, but think like this....what if everyone of the other parents who weren't picked from the 'fair can' did the same? Also, maybe this is a teaching moment for the kids as well.....there are going to be times when there are going to be too many of them to do something, and they have to pick from the fair can....what will they learn if you circumvent it when you didn't get to do what you want? They learn that there is always away to get to do what you want even when its not 'fair'. They won't learn that they have to take turns to do things, they won't learn how to deal with the disappointment of not getting to do what they want to do.

 

I know at our school, when they have to limit the number of parents (which is pretty much always if they have to take a bus), they have no problem with any parents who want to still go, they just have to get themselves there (usually by carpooling with other parents who feel the same way & there are always others). This is kindergarten we are talking about here, there are many, many parents who wouldn't necessarily be comfortable or happy with not being able to go & both of our K teachers (who are parents of young children themselves) are fully supportive of parents participating in any way that makes them or the children feel more comfortable.

 

It probably wouldn't bother me over much. But that's just me. Think of all the stuff they will get to tell you when they get back. They will be perfectly fine, and you will be ok too. Don't let them see you upset though. They may have a hard time enjoying themselves if they know Mommy was upset she couldn't go. :hug:

 

So guess what? Panic attack postponed. I went on the field trip. :good: Long story short...I went to talk to the secretary of the school the other day (had made peace with it all over the weekend and wasn't going to try and follow, etc.) the other day to just find out a few things about the trip to help my mind. I then found out that I was picked to go but never notified. The girls' teacher apologized a bunch of times today saying she had a note that was supposed to go home to me last week and didn't realize I didn't get it. :blush:

Everything happens for a reason? ardon: It was good it happened this way.




Thanks ladies. :grouphug:

 

Yay !!!