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Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't care if others want to send their kids but mine would not be going.

Good luck with that. My kid (and his friends) was talking about the trip nonstop for the weeks before and after the trip. He would have been heartbroken if he weren't allowed to go. If you were actually faced with the decision, I bet you would relent.

At 3? I think you're exaggerating.

My kid was 5, others in his class were 4. But his three year old younger sister was disappointed she didn't get to go, so even at that age I don't think you would be out of the woods completely.

Right. HUGE difference between a class of 5 year olds on the metro, and their enjoyment of a field trip, and 2-3 year olds.

Ok, but this thread concerns preschool trips and preschools generally have kids between 3-5. Why you assumed I was talking about a three year old when neither my post (nor the one I responded to) mentioned age at all is unclear.

OP is talking about 3 year olds. It's fair to assume that others are talking about 3 year olds. You can chime in about your 5 year old kid, but it's not as relevant because, as PP pointed out, there's a huge difference between 3 and 5.

This is a dumb debate even by DCUM standards, but it is Friday so I will play along. OP may be dealing with 3 year olds, but the post concerns preschool age and plenty of other people posted about experiences with older preschoolers. And my post indicated that friends of my 5 year old, who are 4, were equally into the trip and would be equally upset at being forced to miss it by her paranoid mom. Finally, I said even my 3 year old was aware of the trip and felt like she was missing out, and it wasn't even her class going. Imagine how upset of it were her class and friends going and her mom said no.

So, no I don't agree with you, either that my post was irrelevant or that you could cavalierly withhold a 3 year old from a trip without a severely disappointing said 3 year old.

Imagine the disappointment when she is told she can't have her own cell phone at age 7 like all her friends. Sooooo sad. It's called parenting.

Right. And parenting is often about making good choices for your kids. Denying them a cell phone is a good choice. Denying them a fun and safe field trip is a bad choice.

Now we're passing blatant judgment on other peoples' parenting decisions? Take it to the general parenting forum, no one asked for your opinion here.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't care if others want to send their kids but mine would not be going.

Good luck with that. My kid (and his friends) was talking about the trip nonstop for the weeks before and after the trip. He would have been heartbroken if he weren't allowed to go. If you were actually faced with the decision, I bet you would relent.

At 3? I think you're exaggerating.

My kid was 5, others in his class were 4. But his three year old younger sister was disappointed she didn't get to go, so even at that age I don't think you would be out of the woods completely.

Right. HUGE difference between a class of 5 year olds on the metro, and their enjoyment of a field trip, and 2-3 year olds.

Ok, but this thread concerns preschool trips and preschools generally have kids between 3-5. Why you assumed I was talking about a three year old when neither my post (nor the one I responded to) mentioned age at all is unclear.

The OP is about 3 year olds. But thanks for playing.

Imagine a DCUM thread, 4+ pages in, veering ever so slightly from the OP's specific fact pattern. Unheard of! If I had responded about my 3rd grader's field trip, your complaints would be warranted. But discussing 5 year olds (and 4 and 3 year olds, you conveniently ignore) is more than on point for a discussion of preschools.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't care if others want to send their kids but mine would not be going.

Good luck with that. My kid (and his friends) was talking about the trip nonstop for the weeks before and after the trip. He would have been heartbroken if he weren't allowed to go. If you were actually faced with the decision, I bet you would relent.

At 3? I think you're exaggerating.

My kid was 5, others in his class were 4. But his three year old younger sister was disappointed she didn't get to go, so even at that age I don't think you would be out of the woods completely.

Right. HUGE difference between a class of 5 year olds on the metro, and their enjoyment of a field trip, and 2-3 year olds.

Ok, but this thread concerns preschool trips and preschools generally have kids between 3-5. Why you assumed I was talking about a three year old when neither my post (nor the one I responded to) mentioned age at all is unclear.

OP is talking about 3 year olds. It's fair to assume that others are talking about 3 year olds. You can chime in about your 5 year old kid, but it's not as relevant because, as PP pointed out, there's a huge difference between 3 and 5.

This is a dumb debate even by DCUM standards, but it is Friday so I will play along. OP may be dealing with 3 year olds, but the post concerns preschool age and plenty of other people posted about experiences with older preschoolers. And my post indicated that friends of my 5 year old, who are 4, were equally into the trip and would be equally upset at being forced to miss it by her paranoid mom. Finally, I said even my 3 year old was aware of the trip and felt like she was missing out, and it wasn't even her class going. Imagine how upset of it were her class and friends going and her mom said no.

So, no I don't agree with you, either that my post was irrelevant or that you could cavalierly withhold a 3 year old from a trip without a severely disappointing said 3 year old.

It's not dumb. In terms of safety and management, there's a big difference between a class of 3 year olds and a class of 5 year olds. Obviously. I wouldn't give a field trip with my 5 year old a second thought. 3 year old (or even 2s sometimes) is a whole different story.

There is a big difference between 3 and 5 year olds but the underlying activity is so safe that it really doensn't matter. And I'm not sure 5 is safer anyhow - my kids at 5 were much more likely to run off while my 3 year old was much more likely to cling tightly to my hand.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't care if others want to send their kids but mine would not be going.

Good luck with that. My kid (and his friends) was talking about the trip nonstop for the weeks before and after the trip. He would have been heartbroken if he weren't allowed to go. If you were actually faced with the decision, I bet you would relent.

At 3? I think you're exaggerating.

My kid was 5, others in his class were 4. But his three year old younger sister was disappointed she didn't get to go, so even at that age I don't think you would be out of the woods completely.

Right. HUGE difference between a class of 5 year olds on the metro, and their enjoyment of a field trip, and 2-3 year olds.

Ok, but this thread concerns preschool trips and preschools generally have kids between 3-5. Why you assumed I was talking about a three year old when neither my post (nor the one I responded to) mentioned age at all is unclear.

OP is talking about 3 year olds. It's fair to assume that others are talking about 3 year olds. You can chime in about your 5 year old kid, but it's not as relevant because, as PP pointed out, there's a huge difference between 3 and 5.

This is a dumb debate even by DCUM standards, but it is Friday so I will play along. OP may be dealing with 3 year olds, but the post concerns preschool age and plenty of other people posted about experiences with older preschoolers. And my post indicated that friends of my 5 year old, who are 4, were equally into the trip and would be equally upset at being forced to miss it by her paranoid mom. Finally, I said even my 3 year old was aware of the trip and felt like she was missing out, and it wasn't even her class going. Imagine how upset of it were her class and friends going and her mom said no.

So, no I don't agree with you, either that my post was irrelevant or that you could cavalierly withhold a 3 year old from a trip without a severely disappointing said 3 year old.

It's not dumb. In terms of safety and management, there's a big difference between a class of 3 year olds and a class of 5 year olds. Obviously. I wouldn't give a field trip with my 5 year old a second thought. 3 year old (or even 2s sometimes) is a whole different story.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't care if others want to send their kids but mine would not be going.

Good luck with that. My kid (and his friends) was talking about the trip nonstop for the weeks before and after the trip. He would have been heartbroken if he weren't allowed to go. If you were actually faced with the decision, I bet you would relent.

At 3? I think you're exaggerating.

My kid was 5, others in his class were 4. But his three year old younger sister was disappointed she didn't get to go, so even at that age I don't think you would be out of the woods completely.

Right. HUGE difference between a class of 5 year olds on the metro, and their enjoyment of a field trip, and 2-3 year olds.

Ok, but this thread concerns preschool trips and preschools generally have kids between 3-5. Why you assumed I was talking about a three year old when neither my post (nor the one I responded to) mentioned age at all is unclear.

The OP is about 3 year olds. But thanks for playing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't care if others want to send their kids but mine would not be going.

Good luck with that. My kid (and his friends) was talking about the trip nonstop for the weeks before and after the trip. He would have been heartbroken if he weren't allowed to go. If you were actually faced with the decision, I bet you would relent.

At 3? I think you're exaggerating.

My kid was 5, others in his class were 4. But his three year old younger sister was disappointed she didn't get to go, so even at that age I don't think you would be out of the woods completely.

Right. HUGE difference between a class of 5 year olds on the metro, and their enjoyment of a field trip, and 2-3 year olds.

Ok, but this thread concerns preschool trips and preschools generally have kids between 3-5. Why you assumed I was talking about a three year old when neither my post (nor the one I responded to) mentioned age at all is unclear.

OP is talking about 3 year olds. It's fair to assume that others are talking about 3 year olds. You can chime in about your 5 year old kid, but it's not as relevant because, as PP pointed out, there's a huge difference between 3 and 5.

This is a dumb debate even by DCUM standards, but it is Friday so I will play along. OP may be dealing with 3 year olds, but the post concerns preschool age and plenty of other people posted about experiences with older preschoolers. And my post indicated that friends of my 5 year old, who are 4, were equally into the trip and would be equally upset at being forced to miss it by her paranoid mom. Finally, I said even my 3 year old was aware of the trip and felt like she was missing out, and it wasn't even her class going. Imagine how upset of it were her class and friends going and her mom said no.

So, no I don't agree with you, either that my post was irrelevant or that you could cavalierly withhold a 3 year old from a trip without a severely disappointing said 3 year old.

Imagine the disappointment when she is told she can't have her own cell phone at age 7 like all her friends. Sooooo sad. It's called parenting.

Right. And parenting is often about making good choices for your kids. Denying them a cell phone is a good choice. Denying them a fun and safe field trip is a bad choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't care if others want to send their kids but mine would not be going.

Good luck with that. My kid (and his friends) was talking about the trip nonstop for the weeks before and after the trip. He would have been heartbroken if he weren't allowed to go. If you were actually faced with the decision, I bet you would relent.

At 3? I think you're exaggerating.

My kid was 5, others in his class were 4. But his three year old younger sister was disappointed she didn't get to go, so even at that age I don't think you would be out of the woods completely.

Right. HUGE difference between a class of 5 year olds on the metro, and their enjoyment of a field trip, and 2-3 year olds.

Ok, but this thread concerns preschool trips and preschools generally have kids between 3-5. Why you assumed I was talking about a three year old when neither my post (nor the one I responded to) mentioned age at all is unclear.

OP is talking about 3 year olds. It's fair to assume that others are talking about 3 year olds. You can chime in about your 5 year old kid, but it's not as relevant because, as PP pointed out, there's a huge difference between 3 and 5.

This is a dumb debate even by DCUM standards, but it is Friday so I will play along. OP may be dealing with 3 year olds, but the post concerns preschool age and plenty of other people posted about experiences with older preschoolers. And my post indicated that friends of my 5 year old, who are 4, were equally into the trip and would be equally upset at being forced to miss it by her paranoid mom. Finally, I said even my 3 year old was aware of the trip and felt like she was missing out, and it wasn't even her class going. Imagine how upset of it were her class and friends going and her mom said no.

So, no I don't agree with you, either that my post was irrelevant or that you could cavalierly withhold a 3 year old from a trip without a severely disappointing said 3 year old.

Imagine the disappointment when she is told she can't have her own cell phone at age 7 like all her friends. Sooooo sad. It's called parenting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't care if others want to send their kids but mine would not be going.

Good luck with that. My kid (and his friends) was talking about the trip nonstop for the weeks before and after the trip. He would have been heartbroken if he weren't allowed to go. If you were actually faced with the decision, I bet you would relent.

At 3? I think you're exaggerating.

My kid was 5, others in his class were 4. But his three year old younger sister was disappointed she didn't get to go, so even at that age I don't think you would be out of the woods completely.

Right. HUGE difference between a class of 5 year olds on the metro, and their enjoyment of a field trip, and 2-3 year olds.

Ok, but this thread concerns preschool trips and preschools generally have kids between 3-5. Why you assumed I was talking about a three year old when neither my post (nor the one I responded to) mentioned age at all is unclear.

OP is talking about 3 year olds. It's fair to assume that others are talking about 3 year olds. You can chime in about your 5 year old kid, but it's not as relevant because, as PP pointed out, there's a huge difference between 3 and 5.

This is a dumb debate even by DCUM standards, but it is Friday so I will play along. OP may be dealing with 3 year olds, but the post concerns preschool age and plenty of other people posted about experiences with older preschoolers. And my post indicated that friends of my 5 year old, who are 4, were equally into the trip and would be equally upset at being forced to miss it by her paranoid mom. Finally, I said even my 3 year old was aware of the trip and felt like she was missing out, and it wasn't even her class going. Imagine how upset of it were her class and friends going and her mom said no.

So, no I don't agree with you, either that my post was irrelevant or that you could cavalierly withhold a 3 year old from a trip without a severely disappointing said 3 year old.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:some weird vibe here like "Hipster city parents and their adventurous, well-behaved children vs old lame fat suburbanites and their sad unadventurous children".

personally for toddlers and 3 year olds, this kind of trip is not worth the stress. For 4-5 year olds, I could see a carefully planned outing with a lot of parent volunteers as worthwhile. As pp mentioned, the PITA factor alone of dealing with a class of recently potty trained kids with no available bathroom would make it a non started for me.

This! I'm the typical city person who moved to the burbs when I had kids, and I loved living in the city and being able to walk or metro everywhere. But IMO there are a LOT of things you can do for 3 yo enrichment that are less complicated than a metro trip to a museum or something. It's not that I think they wouldn't be safe, I just agree with PP that the PITA:Reward ratio is too high. When my son was 3, he was just as happy at Petsmart as he was at the zoo (he liked being able to see the animals up close). At 5 yo, obviously the zoo wins out.

To OP, I wouldn't be happy with a 3:1 ratio with unfit teachers. Definitely volunteer to go - you'll feel better about it, you'll help out the preggo teacher - win/win!

You must not know DC. Many families don't have cars, and their kids metro or bus everywhere. Where we live, it's quicker to metro to the zoo than to a Petsmart.

I think we're just going in circles now and enhancing the aforementioned vibe. Let me be clear - My point was not that taking metro to the zoo is difficult. I still metro to the zoo rather than pay for parking! My point was that the wow factor for Petsmart was the same as the wow factor for the zoo *at that age*. I'm talking about taking 3 year olds to a place with limited bathroom options and at a ratio that exceeds the number of hands one person has.

Is it so hard to imagine a situation where there are 5 minutes until the next train (with the following one arriving 30 minutes later due to track work), and one of the kids says "I have to poop NOW," and some poor teacher has to haul three kids to the metro bathroom (if there is even one in service) and take care of business before the train arrives or risk delaying the whole group 30 more minutes?

I'm not saying metro is bad! I'm not saying it's not safe! I'm not saying this can't be done! I'm saying that at three years old, it seems like more effort than it's worth at a 3:1 ratio. But since it's already planned, I'm encouraging OP to be a part of it so she can enjoy the trip with her child while also helping the teachers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:some weird vibe here like "Hipster city parents and their adventurous, well-behaved children vs old lame fat suburbanites and their sad unadventurous children".

personally for toddlers and 3 year olds, this kind of trip is not worth the stress. For 4-5 year olds, I could see a carefully planned outing with a lot of parent volunteers as worthwhile. As pp mentioned, the PITA factor alone of dealing with a class of recently potty trained kids with no available bathroom would make it a non started for me.

This! I'm the typical city person who moved to the burbs when I had kids, and I loved living in the city and being able to walk or metro everywhere. But IMO there are a LOT of things you can do for 3 yo enrichment that are less complicated than a metro trip to a museum or something. It's not that I think they wouldn't be safe, I just agree with PP that the PITA:Reward ratio is too high. When my son was 3, he was just as happy at Petsmart as he was at the zoo (he liked being able to see the animals up close). At 5 yo, obviously the zoo wins out.

To OP, I wouldn't be happy with a 3:1 ratio with unfit teachers. Definitely volunteer to go - you'll feel better about it, you'll help out the preggo teacher - win/win!

I don't think it's being a typical city person to move out to the burbs when you have kids (from someone who is a city person and stayed in the city once I had kids, along with many many other families in DC). Perhaps if you hadn't moved to the suburbs, you wouldn't find a metro trip to the museum complicated. For me, it was one of the easiest things to do with my kids.

It's easy WITH YOUR 2 KIDS. That's not the same as a whole class of 3 year olds.

It's a whole class of 3 year olds plus the daycare professionals who the parents trust to manage them every day. Spare me the drama.

+1 There are little kids on metro every day. Little ones whose parents bring them to daycare every day. Entire classes of kids going on field trips or going to events downtown. This isn't that hard unless you've never been on metro yourself, in which case, yes, you may not want to try metro for the first time with a class of preschoolers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't care if others want to send their kids but mine would not be going.

Good luck with that. My kid (and his friends) was talking about the trip nonstop for the weeks before and after the trip. He would have been heartbroken if he weren't allowed to go. If you were actually faced with the decision, I bet you would relent.

At 3? I think you're exaggerating.

My kid was 5, others in his class were 4. But his three year old younger sister was disappointed she didn't get to go, so even at that age I don't think you would be out of the woods completely.

Right. HUGE difference between a class of 5 year olds on the metro, and their enjoyment of a field trip, and 2-3 year olds.

Ok, but this thread concerns preschool trips and preschools generally have kids between 3-5. Why you assumed I was talking about a three year old when neither my post (nor the one I responded to) mentioned age at all is unclear.

OP is talking about 3 year olds. It's fair to assume that others are talking about 3 year olds. You can chime in about your 5 year old kid, but it's not as relevant because, as PP pointed out, there's a huge difference between 3 and 5.

I'm a New Yorker who takes city buses and subways daily and I would not let my 3 yo on a field trip to the subway with 1:4 ratio. No way. Too much that can go wrong on a crowded platform and subway. My DC's preschool would never try it. They only do city buses with 1:2 and that I'm good with.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't care if others want to send their kids but mine would not be going.

Good luck with that. My kid (and his friends) was talking about the trip nonstop for the weeks before and after the trip. He would have been heartbroken if he weren't allowed to go. If you were actually faced with the decision, I bet you would relent.

At 3? I think you're exaggerating.

My kid was 5, others in his class were 4. But his three year old younger sister was disappointed she didn't get to go, so even at that age I don't think you would be out of the woods completely.

Right. HUGE difference between a class of 5 year olds on the metro, and their enjoyment of a field trip, and 2-3 year olds.

Ok, but this thread concerns preschool trips and preschools generally have kids between 3-5. Why you assumed I was talking about a three year old when neither my post (nor the one I responded to) mentioned age at all is unclear.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:some weird vibe here like "Hipster city parents and their adventurous, well-behaved children vs old lame fat suburbanites and their sad unadventurous children".

personally for toddlers and 3 year olds, this kind of trip is not worth the stress. For 4-5 year olds, I could see a carefully planned outing with a lot of parent volunteers as worthwhile. As pp mentioned, the PITA factor alone of dealing with a class of recently potty trained kids with no available bathroom would make it a non started for me.

This! I'm the typical city person who moved to the burbs when I had kids, and I loved living in the city and being able to walk or metro everywhere. But IMO there are a LOT of things you can do for 3 yo enrichment that are less complicated than a metro trip to a museum or something. It's not that I think they wouldn't be safe, I just agree with PP that the PITA:Reward ratio is too high. When my son was 3, he was just as happy at Petsmart as he was at the zoo (he liked being able to see the animals up close). At 5 yo, obviously the zoo wins out.

To OP, I wouldn't be happy with a 3:1 ratio with unfit teachers. Definitely volunteer to go - you'll feel better about it, you'll help out the preggo teacher - win/win!

You must not know DC. Many families don't have cars, and their kids metro or bus everywhere. Where we live, it's quicker to metro to the zoo than to a Petsmart.