What happens if your kid doesn't go to outdoor ed?

[Anonymous]

At our school they suggested that OE relied on parent chaperones (as in not clear it would occur without them, although of course that could have been hyperbole).

I chaperoned for that reason, but was actually not chaperoning my own kid's activities or meals most of the time.

I liked chaperoning because I got a better sense of my kids teachers. I didn't like dealing with some of the kids because you don't really have much authority so kids that aren't inclined to listen to you really aren't going to listen to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid really doesn't want to go, and I don't blame her.

Has anyone let their kid skip it?

Did you send your kid to school instead or keep them home?

I hated outdoor Ed and begged my parents to not make me go in 8th grade. They let me skip in 7th but made me go in 8th and it was one of the worst 5 days of my life. I still remember how awful it was 25 years later. Don't make her go.

[Anonymous]

RE: Chaperones

Only helicopters need apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RE: Chaperones

Only helicopters need apply.

No, we got letters home from the middle school saying "please chaperone, we don't have enough".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outdoor ed is a pivotal developmental experience and all kids should attend. At this age it is important that kids can separate from their parents briefly and learn to deal with slightly uncomfortable circumstances. My autistic grand daughter made a new friend and was enamored with wading in a creek with waders. The teachers and counselors who attend try and watch out for kids who are "wall flowers," but it is not a perfect environment. That is what makes it valuable. Unless a child has a serious mental illness, at a certain age parents need to step back a bit and let their kids learn to deal with mildly stressful situations. They will need this skill later in life.

That's nice. My kid has severe food allergies and there's a zero percent chance I'm putting her life at risk for this.

[Anonymous]

I hated outdoor Ed and begged my parents to not make me go in 8th grade. They let me skip in 7th but made me go in 8th and it was one of the worst 5 days of my life. I still remember how awful it was 25 years later. Don't make her go.

Funny, I was just thinking that I've never met anyone who thinks that their worst experience from middle or high school was a good learning or developmental experience. Its just a really bad memory that they have never forgotten and wish hadn't happened.

OP - don't make her go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid really doesn't want to go, and I don't blame her.

Has anyone let their kid skip it?

Did you send your kid to school instead or keep them home?

I hated outdoor Ed and begged my parents to not make me go in 8th grade. They let me skip in 7th but made me go in 8th and it was one of the worst 5 days of my life. I still remember how awful it was 25 years later. Don't make her go.

If you already hated Outdoor Ed before you even went, and you went in eighth grade when everybody else went in seventh grade, I'm not surprised that you didn't have a good experience.

[Anonymous]

This thread should be preserved as direct evidence of the over parenting of this era. I feel,genuinely sorry for each child whose parents orchestrate their child's life to the level that participation in a school event only occurs if said parent is certain it will be "positive."

[Anonymous]

This thread should be preserved as direct evidence of the over parenting of this era. I feel,genuinely sorry for each child whose parents orchestrate their child's life to the level that participation in a school event only occurs if said parent is certain it will be "positive."

I think this attitude is dumb. Do you do everything just because everyone else does it? I hope not and I hope that this isn't what you are teaching your kids.

Outdoor Ed is a field tip, that's it. If a kid is going to have a miserable experience, don't go. If a kid enjoys this type of thing then go. Its very easy. It has nothing to do with over parenting as you accuse the OP or under parenting as others would accuse you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This thread should be preserved as direct evidence of the over parenting of this era. I feel,genuinely sorry for each child whose parents orchestrate their child's life to the level that participation in a school event only occurs if said parent is certain it will be "positive."

I think this attitude is dumb. Do you do everything just because everyone else does it? I hope not and I hope that this isn't what you are teaching your kids.

Outdoor Ed is a field tip, that's it. If a kid is going to have a miserable experience, don't go. If a kid enjoys this type of thing then go. Its very easy. It has nothing to do with over parenting as you accuse the OP or under parenting as others would accuse you.

?

“Try them, try them, and you may! Try them and you may, I say.”

[Anonymous]

WTH? Who cares so much about outdoor ed that they are offended if another parent decides not to send their child. Its basically a low end sleep away experience. If my kid was dreading it, I wouldn't send them either.

If my kid was being bullied in school already, I 100% would not send them on an overnight trip with those people. Parent chaperones are not effective for managing bully situations. At best parents are usually uncomfortable verbally disciplining other people's kids. At worst, there are plenty of parents that see bullying as a right of passage and are just thrilled that their kid is the aggressor rather than victim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WTH? Who cares so much about outdoor ed that they are offended if another parent decides not to send their child. Its basically a low end sleep away experience. If my kid was dreading it, I wouldn't send them either.

If my kid was being bullied in school already, I 100% would not send them on an overnight trip with those people. Parent chaperones are not effective for managing bully situations. At best parents are usually uncomfortable verbally disciplining other people's kids. At worst, there are plenty of parents that see bullying as a right of passage and are just thrilled that their kid is the aggressor rather than victim.

Nobody, evidently. Nobody has said that they are offended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WTH? Who cares so much about outdoor ed that they are offended if another parent decides not to send their child. Its basically a low end sleep away experience. If my kid was dreading it, I wouldn't send them either.

If my kid was being bullied in school already, I 100% would not send them on an overnight trip with those people. Parent chaperones are not effective for managing bully situations. At best parents are usually uncomfortable verbally disciplining other people's kids. At worst, there are plenty of parents that see bullying as a right of passage and are just thrilled that their kid is the aggressor rather than victim.

+1

These are middle school kids - even MS teachers can have problems managing issues, let alone unexperienced/untrained parents.

OP, if you don't think it'll work for your kid, keep her home. Not really an issue, IMO. And, really not anybody else's business why one parent decides to keep a kid home - whether it's because of food allergies, bullying concerns, whatever the reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I hated outdoor Ed and begged my parents to not make me go in 8th grade. They let me skip in 7th but made me go in 8th and it was one of the worst 5 days of my life. I still remember how awful it was 25 years later. Don't make her go.

Funny, I was just thinking that I've never met anyone who thinks that their worst experience from middle or high school was a good learning or developmental experience. Its just a really bad memory that they have never forgotten and wish hadn't happened.

OP - don't make her go.

OMG, spot on with that! MS in in no way like real life (thankfully). Our MS never had any type of outdoor ed program, but it would have been a HORRIBLE experience for me since I was a huge outcast in MS. I guess being such an outcast helped teach me empathy, but I'm pretty sure I would've gotten that 'learning experience' in other ways.

[Anonymous]

My DD has severe anxiety and we pushed as hard as possible for her to go. It was awful to the point of her becoming sick due to the anxiety and having to return home. It makes me sick when I read how judgmental parents are on this forum. You don't know what's going on in other households and what parents are doing. It isn't always helicopter parenting or a parent who isn't trying their damned hardest to get their child to participate.