The Po Show

A Day at the Museum

I went on Matthew's field trip to the American Museum of Natural History (yes, the setting for "A Night at the Museum," which I haven't seen). It's the first "big" field trip I've been on. I always had Tessa, when Matthew went on field trips, and the ones I went on for her nursery school last year were all local. This was my first get on a school bus and ride a long way into the city (should be hyphens between all those words but I don't feel like it) field trip.

I am sure that everyone was really relieved that I was coming along. Matthew had a bad afternoon yesterday and I had to go pick him up from the nurse's office, where he was in the midst of a meltdown. So it was good that I was there for him, in a huge museum filled to the absolute gills with noisy school kids. We've never been there on a weekday and now I know why that was a good thing.

I was a little apprehensive about going as a chaperone, after having seen frantic chaperones at the Ben Franklin Institute a couple of weeks ago, yelling at their groups, "We have to get on the bus RIGHT NOW! WHERE'S so and so?????" I don't do well being responsible for other people's children. But luckily, there were 10 parents from Matthew's class going today, which came to 2 kids per parent, plus the teacher, so after all the pairings were announced, the only kid I was responsible for was Matthew. His teacher quickly told me that of course we could go along with any other group we'd like. Or just go off on our own, was the implication. I said that was perfect, which it was.

We've been members of the museum for a year, so we've been there a dozen times. Matthew absolutely loves it. It was so chaotic in the Rose Space Center, where we entered, that as soon as I had my ticket we headed upstairs by ourselves. We never did end up running into other groups from his class, and that was fine. I felt momentarily guilty, feeling like we were squandering an opportunity for Matthew to engage in some social skill building, navigating through the museum with other kids, but in the end it really was for the best for him to get to decide where and when he wanted to go.

And it was wonderful, just the two of us. Matthew and I never, ever get one on one time. Tessa demands a lot of one on one attention from me, but he doesn't, and thus it just doesn't happen. But we were both thrilled today, to just hang out, Mommy and Matthew. He's so smart, grasps so many concepts so quickly. We had a great time looking through exhibits on evolution, DNA, adaptation, black holes, the Big Bang, carefully and in depth. Tessa usually gets antsy and we rush through the exhibits. Today we lingered, and read, and discusssed.

It was a great day.