Punky's daycare has announced its first "real" field trip since she's been enrolled. They take the kids on walking trips often: to the park, to the library, and even to the bank and post office. These jaunts make me a tad bit nervous. After all, my kid's easy to lose. She's a runner, she's damn fast, and she's tiny to boot. It's not hard for her to disappear (hence the purchase of the kiddie leash disguised as an adorable monkey backpack for our upcoming trip to meet the mouse).
Anyway, this field trip is to a campground about fifteen miles away. We actually camped there when Punky was six months old. It's really a great place to camp with small children. They have a train ride through the woods around the campground, a beautifully restored carousel, a pool, an enormous sand pit full of toys, a playground with all the usual equipment plus extras like a pirate ship, a ball pit, huge boat swings, carnival type games that are free to play, and more. It sounds like it will be a fun day for the kids. But...
(Of course there's one, or the title wouldn't contain the word dilemma...)
The school is asking parents to help provide transportation and chaperon duty, and the timing couldn't be worse. The field trip is scheduled for the day before we leave for vacation. Punky's dad and I both have the following ten days off, and there is no way for either of us to extend our approved vacation time by another day. Neither of us is able to go. Period.
Given that fact, we are left with two choices and they are equally shitty in my book.
The field trip is only for kids over two years old, so the daycare will still be open that day for the babies. The director told me that Punky will be able to stay at the school if we'd rather she not participate, but I can't seem to make a decision.
Punky is only two, but she's sharp. She will definitely hear the kids and teachers talking about it the day before the trip. She will definitely notice all the excitement that morning as they get ready to go. She will definitely be upset when the rest of her class leaves and she's not allowed to go along. She'll be bored all day at school while confined to the baby room without the classes, toys, teachers, and friends that are normally part of her day. And, come the following morning, she will definitely feel like she missed out on something fun as the kids yap about the great time they had on the field trip.
The flip side? We let her go.
In a stranger's car. With a parent we don't know. On a 65 mph highway without knowing the condition of the vehicle or the safety-consciousness of the driver. And once at the campground, there's the chaperon thing. Who will be watching my child? A parent who knows nothing about her aside from her name? Will they hold her tightly on the carousel, and sit beside her on the train, and monitor how high she climbs at the playground? Given the chance, Punky would jump off the moving train to chase a squirrel she spots in the woods, try to stand up on the back of the carousel horse, and be all the way on top of the monkey bars in an instant. I know my child.
And to be quite honest, if I were in charge of watching a group of three or four kids on a field trip, I know I would pay closer attention to the care, wants, and needs of my own. I don't think that makes me a bad person; I think it makes me a mom.
So, do I deny her the opportunity and feel like the worst mother on the planet? Or do I suck it up and trust a stranger with my precious little girl, and spend the day in a constant state of worry, and then feel like the worst mother on the planet if something bad happens? Either way, I lose.
Until now, I felt confident with all the decisions I've made for Punky. I knew where I stood, listened to my gut, and I have no regrets. I am firmly stuck on the fence with this one. Am I being way over-protective and paranoid? Do I need to lighten up a bit? Or should I follow my gut and choose her safety over her pleasure? She'd get over it, right? Probably quickly with us heading to Disney the very next night.
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