I experienced a “mom first” this week. I chaperoned the Straightforward Son’s first school field trip. (I can't tell you the last time I had been on a field trip where A) I was completely responsible or B) had to set up the whole field trip. It was sure nice to watch someone else sweat for a change!) I decided to make this a special day just for us. I got the Straightforward Granny to watch the Straightforward Baby so that I could direct all my attention to the excited field tripper. We climbed into our “school car.” (For those of you who don’t know, it’s my baby that I hardly get to drive anymore—the Mustang. The Straightforward Son rides with dad to school each day in momma’s beauty.) He jabbered all the way to school. We get to the classroom and he clamps on to my leg like a pair of skinny jeans (for those of you wondering, I don’t wear them—I just know some people do and I have NO idea how they pour themselves in those things). Those of you who know this very not shy little boy would have been shocked to see him. After a few minutes, I was able to pry him off my leg and get him to play with the other kids. He had decided that he wanted me to drive him instead of riding the bus with some of the other kids. I was okay with that because it would offer us more one-on-one time. The teacher announced it was time to load up and he bolted out the door. We get in the car and he decides he has to buckle himself in. So he undoes what I have just done and decides to do it his way. (This of course meant me having to do what I did all over again when he got frustrated with it.) He then announced that we had to have Tom Tom. (We were only going 12 minutes away.) I sat up Tom Tom and made sure he could see it. It was a fun drive behind the bus. There were at least twenty cars following the bus—parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters were all tagging along. At one point, a car pulled over to the side of the road and watched us go by. The poor guy thought it was a funeral procession. The Straightforward Son also wanted to hold my hand on the way there. I was happy to oblige, even though I was in the front and he was in the back. My arm was not as happy by the time we arrived at our destination. My arm felt like it had been ripped off and bent in ways it was not meant to know. However, I had the biggest smile when we got out because I know I was the only mom that had that request on the ride over!
We arrived at a beautiful little farm in Cleveland. It was one of those places you generally see in pictures. If you are ever looking for a place to get married, this farm would make for a beautiful outdoor wedding. The pictures would be great. They had a fun itinerary for the kids. We took a hayride (to my amazement, the “farmer” giving us a ride was a fellow Piedmont athlete that I hadn’t seen in years) and were dropped off at the cutest mini maze. They had hay bales set up in a maze that was perfect for kids. After the maze, we went to see the animals. The Straightforward Son got a kick out of the horse thinking his hair was hay. He giggled and jumped as the horse chomped away at his head. His favorite was definitely the turtles. They allowedthem to walk around and the kids thought that was great.
At this point, the Straightforward Son went into meltdown mode. Luckily, snack arrived and that helped some. However, during one of the games afterward, he lost it and fell apart over a game of horseshoes. (Seriously, what three year old loses their self-control over horseshoes?) They took us to see the bridge and finally, the trip was over. As we headed back to the car, I couldn’t have been happier. In my mind, I knew if I didn’t get him somewhere he could nap soon, another meltdown was inevitable. Unfortunately, the business woman in me had to stop and ask some questions about the farm and pictures. While I was talking, the Straightforward Son invited two other boys to hang out in the Mustang (he had just met them at the farm for the first time—they were not with our group). They had a good time crawling around and talking. As we were pulling away, he again decided he needed to put his seatbelt on and we had to do the routine all over again.
As we talked about his favorite things on the way home, he fell asleep. As I sat there trying to find my way home (the bus had left me at that point and I had forgotten to plug Tom Tom back in), I was so thankful that I had made this a special time for just the two of us. Recently, the Straightforward Baby has been requiring more attention and I knew it was the perfect opportunity for some much needed “mommy time.” Also, this is a memory that only I get to share with him. He might not remember it, but I will. When he’s older, I’ll get to show him the pictures of the horse eating his hair and say, “Remember when. . .” just like my parents have done with me. How fast do they grow up? As I watched him make new friends in the Mustang, I realized what a big boy I had on my hands. I realized he no longer needed me to introduce him to new friends.He was doing just fine on his own. In fact, he was introducing me to his friends from school. (I think he realizes that mommy spends too much time at home and needs more friends!) I am just thankful that I made the time to be with him on such a special day!
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