Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t disagree with you OP. But I also am annoyed with you. Some of those parents probably argued with their kids to dress better, bring a raincoat, etc. Kids probably refused. So parents decided to let them suffer the natural consequences! You completely undermined that! Let them be cold. Let them be wet. Will they die? No. And next time they’ll listen to their parents and bring a raincoat.

You totally undermined and “rescued” those kids. Bad choice.

OP here. My daughter was fighting me about clothes the night before because she wanted to wear shorts and Crocs. I told her she would be wearing proper shoes and long pants, or she would be going to school for a regular school day and I would attend the trip as a chaperone without her. This is called parenting. There is no such thing as an 11yo “refusing” me when it comes to a special privilege like Hershey Park.

So you raised a kid who doesn't understand how to dress themselves in middle school and now you're lecturing other people? Sounds like you did a very bad job parenting her when she was younger.

She understands she doesn’t get to make dumb choices on important days. If she wants to shiver at the bus stop, fine. But not all day in the cold and rain. It’s called stepping in and parenting until her brain finishes developing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t disagree with you OP. But I also am annoyed with you. Some of those parents probably argued with their kids to dress better, bring a raincoat, etc. Kids probably refused. So parents decided to let them suffer the natural consequences! You completely undermined that! Let them be cold. Let them be wet. Will they die? No. And next time they’ll listen to their parents and bring a raincoat.

You totally undermined and “rescued” those kids. Bad choice.

OP here. My daughter was fighting me about clothes the night before because she wanted to wear shorts and Crocs. I told her she would be wearing proper shoes and long pants, or she would be going to school for a regular school day and I would attend the trip as a chaperone without her. This is called parenting. There is no such thing as an 11yo “refusing” me when it comes to a special privilege like Hershey Park.

No, that’s not parenting a middle schooler. That’s hovering.

Hovering would be doing that on a regular school day where the consequences would be minimal and limited to only the dumb kid. On an out-of-state, all-day field trip, consequences are felt by chaperones, teachers, the group, etc. Parent your kid.

I am parenting my children but letting them feel natural consequences. You are codling yours because you are worried your little babies will be cold and wet.

Do you mean “coddling”? I think 11yos literally crying is a problem for everyone on the trip, including the directors and coaches who work so hard to plan for and execute this type of fun trip and unique competition experience for kids. They don’t have to do that: these are above-and-beyond teachers and school administrators. They deserve thanks and bare-minimum effort from parents.

We get it. You don’t parent your kids. But there’s no amount of yapping that is going to change the fact that you should, especially when better parents have gone out of their way and taken time off work to serve as a chaperone so that all the kids may benefit from a special experience.

You shouldn’t chaperone anymore. You are not cut out for it.

Fah-REE rah-rayyyngeeee!

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this situation with other parents present, too. Activities where the parents and kids are shivering in the cold without hats and gloves, for example selling Girl Scout cookies. I bring extra gloves and hats because I know the parents are so checked out that they will not look after their kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe that "tons" of parents bragged on Facebook that they planned, in advance, to send their kids on a field trip dressed inappropriately for the weather because "I don't have to hear my kid whine." Perhaps one idiot did that. But this isn't a widespread problem.

Also, kids do have to learn to dress appropriately for the weather. These were MS kids. That's prime age for this kind of dumb rebellion but it's also when parents have to let it go and let them learn. If you were talking about elementary age kids, I think you can just force the kids to wear real shoes and raincoats. A 13 yr old? You tell them it's raining and suggest proper attire, but if my kid walks downstairs in shorts and flip flops, all I say is "you're going to freeze in that" and then let it go. They have to learn.

I've chaperoned a million field trips of all ages, plus done like 24 dance recitals as a backstage parent. I also used to work at a summer camp and teach dance to 4-8 yr olds. I've been wrangling other people's kids for a long time and the truth is that whining is really common and you have to develop a thick skin and treat it the way you would in your own kids -- ignore it or suggest a solution if you think it will help. But it's always something. Some kids got wet and cold, oh well. They didn't die.

I would not have bought them ponchos or sweatshirts. I might have advocated for a change in schedule if a significant number if kids were miserable and there was a way to keep them out if the cold and rain for longer so they could at least warm up.

Oh, so punish the prepared kids whose parents give a crap about them? Got it. A schedule change mandated for all because of the dumb kids and the selfish parents?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are sweet to buy rain ponchos. Did they have sweatshirts for sale there? Kids should have brought enough money but maybe not.

The sweatshirts are really expensive. OP, thank you for looking after these kids. The parent who posted this didn't think their comment through. But honestly, yesterday, I didn't expect it to be so cold! And I checked the weather! It's only because I walk the dog in the morning that I actually felt the temp and told DD to change into long pants and long shirts before going to school. It's not surprising to me that multiple parents did not realize how cold it was going to get.

They still had to drop their kids off at the middle school early in the morning, right? You walk out to your car and see that it is cold and rainy, you send them back in for at the very least a rain jacket or a sweatshirt to bring with them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t disagree with you OP. But I also am annoyed with you. Some of those parents probably argued with their kids to dress better, bring a raincoat, etc. Kids probably refused. So parents decided to let them suffer the natural consequences! You completely undermined that! Let them be cold. Let them be wet. Will they die? No. And next time they’ll listen to their parents and bring a raincoat.

You totally undermined and “rescued” those kids. Bad choice.

OP here. My daughter was fighting me about clothes the night before because she wanted to wear shorts and Crocs. I told her she would be wearing proper shoes and long pants, or she would be going to school for a regular school day and I would attend the trip as a chaperone without her. This is called parenting. There is no such thing as an 11yo “refusing” me when it comes to a special privilege like Hershey Park.

No, that’s not parenting a middle schooler. That’s hovering.

Hovering would be doing that on a regular school day where the consequences would be minimal and limited to only the dumb kid. On an out-of-state, all-day field trip, consequences are felt by chaperones, teachers, the group, etc. Parent your kid.

I am parenting my children but letting them feel natural consequences. You are codling yours because you are worried your little babies will be cold and wet.

Do you mean “coddling”? I think 11yos literally crying is a problem for everyone on the trip, including the directors and coaches who work so hard to plan for and execute this type of fun trip and unique competition experience for kids. They don’t have to do that: these are above-and-beyond teachers and school administrators. They deserve thanks and bare-minimum effort from parents.

We get it. You don’t parent your kids. But there’s no amount of yapping that is going to change the fact that you should, especially when better parents have gone out of their way and taken time off work to serve as a chaperone so that all the kids may benefit from a special experience.

You shouldn’t chaperone anymore. You are not cut out for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t disagree with you OP. But I also am annoyed with you. Some of those parents probably argued with their kids to dress better, bring a raincoat, etc. Kids probably refused. So parents decided to let them suffer the natural consequences! You completely undermined that! Let them be cold. Let them be wet. Will they die? No. And next time they’ll listen to their parents and bring a raincoat.

You totally undermined and “rescued” those kids. Bad choice.

OP here. My daughter was fighting me about clothes the night before because she wanted to wear shorts and Crocs. I told her she would be wearing proper shoes and long pants, or she would be going to school for a regular school day and I would attend the trip as a chaperone without her. This is called parenting. There is no such thing as an 11yo “refusing” me when it comes to a special privilege like Hershey Park.

No, that’s not parenting a middle schooler. That’s hovering.

Hovering would be doing that on a regular school day where the consequences would be minimal and limited to only the dumb kid. On an out-of-state, all-day field trip, consequences are felt by chaperones, teachers, the group, etc. Parent your kid.

I am parenting my children but letting them feel natural consequences. You are codling yours because you are worried your little babies will be cold and wet.

Do you mean “coddling”? I think 11yos literally crying is a problem for everyone on the trip, including the directors and coaches who work so hard to plan for and execute this type of fun trip and unique competition experience for kids. They don’t have to do that: these are above-and-beyond teachers and school administrators. They deserve thanks and bare-minimum effort from parents.

We get it. You don’t parent your kids. But there’s no amount of yapping that is going to change the fact that you should, especially when better parents have gone out of their way and taken time off work to serve as a chaperone so that all the kids may benefit from a special experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t disagree with you OP. But I also am annoyed with you. Some of those parents probably argued with their kids to dress better, bring a raincoat, etc. Kids probably refused. So parents decided to let them suffer the natural consequences! You completely undermined that! Let them be cold. Let them be wet. Will they die? No. And next time they’ll listen to their parents and bring a raincoat.

You totally undermined and “rescued” those kids. Bad choice.

OP here. My daughter was fighting me about clothes the night before because she wanted to wear shorts and Crocs. I told her she would be wearing proper shoes and long pants, or she would be going to school for a regular school day and I would attend the trip as a chaperone without her. This is called parenting. There is no such thing as an 11yo “refusing” me when it comes to a special privilege like Hershey Park.

No, that’s not parenting a middle schooler. That’s hovering.

Hovering would be doing that on a regular school day where the consequences would be minimal and limited to only the dumb kid. On an out-of-state, all-day field trip, consequences are felt by chaperones, teachers, the group, etc. Parent your kid.

I am parenting my children but letting them feel natural consequences. You are codling yours because you are worried your little babies will be cold and wet.

Do you mean “coddling”? I think 11yos literally crying is a problem for everyone on the trip, including the directors and coaches who work so hard to plan for and execute this type of fun trip and unique competition experience for kids. They don’t have to do that: these are above-and-beyond teachers and school administrators. They deserve thanks and bare-minimum effort from parents.

We get it. You don’t parent your kids. But there’s no amount of yapping that is going to change the fact that you should, especially when better parents have gone out of their way and taken time off work to serve as a chaperone so that all the kids may benefit from a special experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t disagree with you OP. But I also am annoyed with you. Some of those parents probably argued with their kids to dress better, bring a raincoat, etc. Kids probably refused. So parents decided to let them suffer the natural consequences! You completely undermined that! Let them be cold. Let them be wet. Will they die? No. And next time they’ll listen to their parents and bring a raincoat.

You totally undermined and “rescued” those kids. Bad choice.

OP here. My daughter was fighting me about clothes the night before because she wanted to wear shorts and Crocs. I told her she would be wearing proper shoes and long pants, or she would be going to school for a regular school day and I would attend the trip as a chaperone without her. This is called parenting. There is no such thing as an 11yo “refusing” me when it comes to a special privilege like Hershey Park.

So you raised a kid who doesn't understand how to dress themselves in middle school and now you're lecturing other people? Sounds like you did a very bad job parenting her when she was younger.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t disagree with you OP. But I also am annoyed with you. Some of those parents probably argued with their kids to dress better, bring a raincoat, etc. Kids probably refused. So parents decided to let them suffer the natural consequences! You completely undermined that! Let them be cold. Let them be wet. Will they die? No. And next time they’ll listen to their parents and bring a raincoat.

You totally undermined and “rescued” those kids. Bad choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t disagree with you OP. But I also am annoyed with you. Some of those parents probably argued with their kids to dress better, bring a raincoat, etc. Kids probably refused. So parents decided to let them suffer the natural consequences! You completely undermined that! Let them be cold. Let them be wet. Will they die? No. And next time they’ll listen to their parents and bring a raincoat.

You totally undermined and “rescued” those kids. Bad choice.

OP here. My daughter was fighting me about clothes the night before because she wanted to wear shorts and Crocs. I told her she would be wearing proper shoes and long pants, or she would be going to school for a regular school day and I would attend the trip as a chaperone without her. This is called parenting. There is no such thing as an 11yo “refusing” me when it comes to a special privilege like Hershey Park.

No, that’s not parenting a middle schooler. That’s hovering.

Hovering would be doing that on a regular school day where the consequences would be minimal and limited to only the dumb kid. On an out-of-state, all-day field trip, consequences are felt by chaperones, teachers, the group, etc. Parent your kid.

I am parenting my children but letting them feel natural consequences. You are codling yours because you are worried your little babies will be cold and wet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t disagree with you OP. But I also am annoyed with you. Some of those parents probably argued with their kids to dress better, bring a raincoat, etc. Kids probably refused. So parents decided to let them suffer the natural consequences! You completely undermined that! Let them be cold. Let them be wet. Will they die? No. And next time they’ll listen to their parents and bring a raincoat.

You totally undermined and “rescued” those kids. Bad choice.

OP here. My daughter was fighting me about clothes the night before because she wanted to wear shorts and Crocs. I told her she would be wearing proper shoes and long pants, or she would be going to school for a regular school day and I would attend the trip as a chaperone without her. This is called parenting. There is no such thing as an 11yo “refusing” me when it comes to a special privilege like Hershey Park.