I am having an issue where...well, ds has his 5th grade camping trip coming up, and he has behavior issues, and they're sending a one-on-one support for him, but it's in the woods and they're freaking out ahead of time that he might...who knows what they think he might. Mess with the fire, drown in the river, I dunno. My ds is uber safety conscious, even though he's impulsive, and would never. Last year he went on a wilderness camp where he was sent into the woods with nothing but a knife and a bow and arrows, in the dark, with no flashlight, and had to find his way back to the main camp. Alone. This was on a remote mountaintop. He was allowed to play in rivers and streams. He did fine.
The attitude of the teachers...they are such worry warts! I think they send ds the message that he is incapable. And he responds by acting accordingly. He acts out.
His martial arts teacher, who was the leader/originator of the wilderness camp, acts like ds is totally capable, and a more mature young man than maybe he is. And ds responds by bucking up, manning up to the expectation.
My problem with this lies in that I want to go to MA while ds is on his school camping trip. It's the first week in May. Caregiver will be out of town, so she can't offer support as "emergency contact". The school is in a panic because they say they need me to be in town in case of a medical or behavioral emergency, if something happens and I need to go get him. I'm honestly thinking that there will be NOTHING, but they are so worried about having to send ds home because of behavior and nobody being available to get him.
Srsly??? You have that much confidence in him? And besides, you think I am such a negligent parent that I would leave town on a plane and not leave an emergency contact?
So next: I don't have any g-d friends. None. When we homeschooled, we had a TON of resources. DS and I both had any number of people we could call in a pinch. Since he's in school, we really have nobody. My best bud is across town now, plus she works in the daytime. The mom of ds's best school friend is understandably reluctant to commit because she's afraid they WILL call about behavior, and she'd have to go get my ds and keep him for days, while her own kid is on the camping trip.
I don't know what to do, mamas. I just realized I can put this whole issue on my TM, because that's next week and the trip is in May. But it's a plane trip, and I have to make reservations really soon, or I either pay out the nose, or chance not getting seats, the longer I wait.
WTF do I do? Ugh.
) and she even has little, easy kid projects for a day ("pick up all the paper on the floor that doesn't belong there, and throw it away. That's all! Set the timer and go!") that are really cute. I basically have it to remind myself to do *something* every day, and stick to my list.
I have three kids five and under in a small 3 bedroom ranch. Its loud. Generally quiets down between the times of 9pm and 6am, tho! Probably a little much just to cook for someone to enjoy it. 
though honestly, I am trying to get him out and about more, involved in more things, because I think it's fine to be an antisocial loner at 52, but not at 11.
)
I mean-- if you can't handle kids, don't be a teacher, eh?
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