Field trip number one

Lily went on her first field trip last month. And I didn't go. Her teachers already had enough parent volunteers by the time I got around to expressing interest. Aaand they kind of definitely didn't want me to go anyway. Because, as they put it, they don't really want the parents going on their child's first trip.

I had sent an email to the school offering to go, expressing my concern about Lily going on an excursion without one of her parents (the people that know her clever ways best), etc. The response I got was- "we'll talk to you when you drop her off." Great.

Do you know how many times I heard "she'll be fine!"? About 15. Lily's teacher just kept saying it and saying it. While I was feebly trying to explain Lily's tendency to try do her own thing (which they should know about by now anyway). In other words, taking off.

She'll be fine, she'll be fine, she'll be fine, there's x amount of adults going, and blah blah blah. THEN she turns to the mom behind me dropping off her child- and in not so many words, tells her I'm an over-protective nutcase that's flipping out about my child going on a field trip. They chuckled together. While I just stood there. "She'll be fine," the other mother says. "Blah blah blah, I run a daycare- and I'll be going." Pff, so what? Who the heck are you? I smiled weakly- kinda feeling like I was in the twilight zone.

So.. obviously (first sentence).. she went. And I felt sick. And refused to think about it at all while she was there. For fear.. that maybe I would follow the bus.. show up and spy from the parking lot.

Good thing I didn't. Because how much would I have freaked the f-ing heck out when they never showed up where they were supposed to be? They went bowling instead. And never let me know. In some ways I can understand why they didn't call parents (what if they got to one parent that said no? after all the others said ok? then they'd have to call them all back again and say never mind). But at the same time I didn't really like that for a couple of hours I didn't actually know where my child was. I thought I knew where she was.. but she wasn't actually there. I didn't care for that.

BUT.. she was so excited to have ridden a bus. She was so excited to have gone bowling. And she was returned to me safe and sound. So.. that's all that really matters. (Right?)