Our First School Excursion !

Josie had her first school excursion today. They went to a famous Aussie park.

The morning was the morning from HELL.

After the weekend's Animal Expo trip (where she insisted going on a couple of rides that she did not enjoy at all) she decided that the bus trip that the school had organised to take them to the park, was going to be scary like the rides. We tried in vain to convince her otherwise but she would have nothing of it.

So we dragged her out of bed and into the car, all the while Josie was crying and calling for daddy.

I took her to school while Tony went to work and when I got there I thought Rachel being there would help, but no, while she was pleased to see Rachel, she REALLY did not want to go on this excursion. She was really scared.

At home we told her that if she was still scared after seeing Rachel that I would go with her, but I knew right away that this was a bad idea. The teachers strongly disapproved of my coming along, and I agreed with them. She needed to learn independence and my coming along only justified her fright.

So I extricated myself from her visor like grip, handed her to her favourite teacher, and went out to the front room, where I could see her but she couldn't see me. And I could see that she was already settling down.

It was heartbreaking leaving her. It was harder than when she first started school because she wasn't absolutely petrified then.

I drove off, and got a phone call from the director saying that Josie settled down completely after I had left, was laughing and playing, and got on the bus with no problems. This was a relief.

And I just got another phone call from the school saying they were back and Josie had a terrific time, and enjoyed herself immensely, and even went on the train with everyone.

I am glad I made the decision to leave her. It is better for her to learn to deal with her fear, to face it and overcome it. The teachers know what they are doing and this only reinforces my trust in them. We made a good decision when we sent her to this school.