Confession Time. Today was my first ever time being parent-help on a School Trip. Ever. Can you believe that?
My kid is nearly eight; he has been at school for three years. But today was my first time as parent help. On a trip or anywhere. There's always been a baby or toddler, and taking babies/toddlers is not encouraged on school trips. But now Miss Fab is in school and Scrag is in preschool... I have kid-free time!
Dash's class have been studying Technology and Transport Through Time (er, not Time Travel, the development of Transport... over time) so the trip was to MOTAT - The Museum of Transport and Technology.
The permission slip came home and I went to fill it out... and as I automatically headed for the usual tick box...
[ ] I am unable to be parent help on the trip
...I suddenly realised: but I can help. Scrag is in kindy. I am trying to balance my life and do more stuff and blog less during the day... I will go on this trip!
Dash was so excited that after all these years his mum was finally going to be going on a school trip. Of course he wanted to be in "my group"... and somehow I ended up with a hard case bunch of ragtag seven and eight year old boys... plus two very sweet well mannered girls to balance out the crazy.
I loved every minute of it.
Even the constant head-counting as my energetic bunch were quick as lightning.
I enjoyed seeing my kid in his element, amongst his peers.
I loved being on the tram and learning about how trams used to be the main transport in Auckland until 1958.
I learnt that a tram line used to run all the way to Pt Chev Beach; and another right through Mt Albert. Things I never knew about my town.
I loved being the class photographer. I loved seeing the way the kids love their teacher - and how he returns the sentiment. I love the mix of "flavours" in the class, a real mini-united nations. I had fun snapping pics of my kid and his friends even though he pretended he was embarrassed and called me a Japanese tourist!
I enjoyed listening to "Albert" and "Fraser" the Motat Men regale us with tales of trams and trains crashed and restored, turned into dining cars and exhibits. I learnt plenty myself. How funny to see the horse-drawn carriage and the first motorcar side by side looking like twins?! Oh yes, the development of transport through time.
Loving the smell of diesel and realising that my grandad was a railway man. His job took my mother's family all over the country, cementing forever our family's gypsy ways (I went to ten schools).
Loved discovering a model railway I never knew existed... and a proper nice cafe that has been there all along! How many times have we been to MOTAT?? And never discovered the cafe with the nice Terrace and Tram Restaurant?
Loving that we have a Motat Mates family year pass (for the ridiculously cheap price of $65 unlimited entry) and that this cool working museum is on our doorstep and I can visit it any time I want with my train-mad toddler.
But best of all... I loved that I was finally On A School Trip, being a School Trip Mummy Helper.
I felt like a Proper Mother today.
I'm sure this is only the first of many trips to come...
