I am the mom you’ll see on every field trip. Not only do I have the luxury of having a flexible schedule, but I also have the desire to want to be ‘that parent.’ I want to see and learn alongside my kids at every opportunity. There are so many benefits I have discovered through the years that keep me sign up and staying involved.
- Getting to know the teachers- Seeing them during drop off/pick up time and at parent/teacher conferences is a very limited amount of time. And most of us can admit that we don’t know our children’s teachers well. I’m not talking about their personal life, but I’ve learned by watching them outside of a school environment. What are their strengthens and weakness? What is their teaching method? This helps me to understand their teacher which improves the way I community with them.
- Meeting parents- It’s hard to build a friendship with other parents sometimes. We’re all so business with our checklist, but during a field trips, most parents put those things aside. And it’s an excellent opportunity to get to know your kid’s friend’s parents before arranging playdates. And bonus, you may find another parent to share parenthood experiences with.
- Putting names to faces- You’ll finally get to see who your kiddos friends are. Along with who they’ve said the class clowns is, who’s the new kid, or who they’ve been having problems with. Seeing each child’s personality has helped me guide my children on how to interact with their classmates in difficult situations.
- Observe your child- Seeing your kid at school (especially on a field trip) can be an eye opener. I enjoy watching my girls try new things. And every time they raise their hand to ask an insightful question I can’t help but feel proud that they’re engaging.
- Safety- It’s easy to say that kids (especial at the elementary level) love having family members involved. My girls face light up when they know their friends will be riding in their car, or are assigned to our group when touring through the museum. I believe it has to do in some part with the fact that there’s a sense of security and familiarity. And that works both ways. I know where my kids (and all students assigned to me, for that matter) are at all times. Being there together checks off one huge worry for this mommy.
- Making memories- Even to this day, my girls will bring up past trips reminiscing about the fun we had, or what things we did. It also helps that I have pictures for us to look back on as well. And as a parent of multiples, having that special one-on-one time with my girls is precious.