On Friday we took a class trip to the aquarium. I hate these trips. I know they are great for the kids and families but as an administrator I get all sweaty just thinking about them. My mother put the fear into me with stories of her teaching days as she lost a child on the subway (the child was found later at his home he had apparently taken the subway back to his house). On trips I count kids like someone with OCD. And taking the subway with two classes of 3-5 year old ages me about the same amount. But I went.
The trip involved a long long subway ride to get to the fish house. I spent the ride counting compulsively and stopping children from licking various parts of the subway car. Everywhere I looked a child was absent mindly licking something, poles, windows even seats. My son of course was a repeat offender licking everything while sporting a big black smudge on his moth and nose.
We got there and had a pretty nice time. We saw fishies and penguins it was all a lot of fun. It was hot though and by the time we left everyone was pretty whiny and tired (the kids were too).
We walked back to the subway were greeted with one of those gates that looks a little like a cheese grater we all groaned preparing ourselves for an unpleasant entrance to the train. One of the parents walked through and opened the door for the kids to make thing easier. An alarm went off. The next thing I knew all the parents and kids were jumping the turn style and going through the gate(I paid! I'm no vagrant) Suddenly two police officers came running down the stairs. They looked at us with squinty knowing eyes.
I went into panic mode. I saw all of us, kids included, being handcuffed and taken downtown. I saw kiddy mug shots. I saw the six o'clock news headline:
Who steered them wrong? Who's to blame? Was it this woman?
More at 6.
I broke into a flop sweat. Just when I was ready to confess and turn in everyone else (I paid after all) the train came. I gathered all my hooligans and shoved them quickly on the train. As I pried my sons tongue off the plastic subway seat I took a deep breath and vowed never again to take one of these rotten trips .
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29 comments:
First off... licking subway parts... omg: hysterically funny for us, not so fun for you!
I can so feel your pain and anxiety. I would be freaked out to take a trip with toddlers. I can barely handle taking my three little ones out in public WITH HELP!
Glad you didn't get arrested. Ha.
Oh you are a brave brave woman!
The visual of the parents and kids jumping over the turn style and the possibility of being chased by the cops and getting handcuffed is hilarious. :)
Yikes! I went with my daughter to the Children's Theater last year....I didn't see any licking of the seats....whew! :)
Oh you poor thing! The thought of taking kids on the subway gives me the willies! I used to live in DC and would take the subway every day, but years later when we brought our kids to be tourists for a weekend, I nearly had a heart attack every time they went near the tracks! They kept saying, "Mommy you're squeezing me!" And when we moved to France, the metro was no better--the kiddies just attracted more attention squealing in English!
Maybe I should get therapy.
I would never even attempt such an excursion. You're a braver woman than me.
I'm sorry, but I did laugh at the subway licking. But only because I've been there. I'm laughing WITH you, not AT you.
I actually broke into a cold sweat during paragraph one! Two classes of preschoolers, subway, story of lost child!!
But laughed histerically at the frenzied parents and children and ultimately the germ catcher. Licking public seats would have repulsed me in my youth. Now we just call it "Monday". You're a trooper!
I would definitely be afraid of losing a 3-5 yr old! I freak out if I turn around and Pascal hasn't got his nose buried in my ankle (he can't reach my butt lol).
I'm so glad you (and the kids) survived.
And I'm glad we don't go to your school.
Just kidding :D
Did they at least take a flattering picture for the mug shot in your vision? :P
Licking parts of the subway, really? Gross!! My vision is of a news story about two classes of 3 to 5 year olds staying home with dysentery.
I think this may be the funniest thing you've ever written (that I've read of course). I have completely given up on trying to make my children take their mouths off of filthy surface areas (even the ones OUTSIDE of my house). But the image of people jumping over turnstiles! Too much! Favorite thing I've read all week.
call me when someone pukes in you lap. Then we'll have something to talk about...
:-)
uhoh
and Im already looking forward to them :)
or I was.
who can say?
Miz.
Group trips freak me out. I didn't even like them when I was a kid. Hate them as an adult. Nice attitude, huh?
Oh my GOSH!
Kids on a subway, I can't even imagine ME on a subway let alone a bunch of ankle biters.
There are 150 kids in my sons entire school, so class field trips are very small and usually involve a feed store or tree farm.
The city trips, museum, zoo, plays, include the whole school instead of just one class and requires a parent for every grade.
sounds like you had a stressful day!
What is it with kids and licking and eating things they shouldnt lol
I have added you to my blogroll now ;)
Quel nightmare! Congrats on making it thru with hopefully a minimum of communicable diseases :)
You have to have OCD to take that many kids on a field trip.
Glad you made it back alive.
I dont know how you do it! I get crazy taking 4 kids anywhere
I definitely think they should implement the chain gang method when travelling with more than one child. and the good news is if you lose one than you lose them all.
Oh my!! :) Sounds like lots of fun! ;) It makes me sweat just thinking about such an undertaking.
Oh my, I never take my kids to the GROCERY STORE and that involves riding in a car! You are so brave!
And they let you take kids on the subway for field trips??? Wow. I can't imagine. I guess that's because I don't have a subway. :)
Yikes. I work at a children's shelter and always get a nervous achy feeling in my stomach when we go on activities. I can't even imagine what it would be like to do my job in a big city.
I thought I had it bad driving a field trip with a group of 4th graders singing Green Day songs at the top of their lungs!
You are brave.
I can relate! Some things are fun for the kids, not so fun for the grownups in charge. Glad it's over. :)
You are so brave. Glad everyone made it there and back! It's always predictable that any time a class takes a field trip its usually the hottest day of the year.
Take care,
Julie
Sounds a little like the first day at intermediate school! LOL
O Man, I don't like field trips either. Glad you all made it safe and sound.
My daughter is four, and we're currently working on keeping the tongue in the mouth where it belongs. It seems to be the hardest lesson to learn so far, lol.
Yeah, I'd have to be paid a severely large amount of money to do what you did!
And I thought the field trips I've gone on were bad.
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