Unexpected Joys of Attending a Kindergarten Field Trip: Blogpost #19

Last Friday was a milestone moment for us. It was the first field trip that I have been able to attend with any of our children since 2019. Something as simple as going on a local adventure with your child, his teachers, and his classmates is a simple joy that we haven’t been able to experience, since the whole world shut down in March of 2020. Although this may not seem like a really big deal to miss out on one field trip a year with your children, in reality, not being able to come in person to class parties, field trips, and other school family events for almost two years has made us all more isolated. 

In a normal school year, when our kids come home and talk about their days and the funny things that happened, we could picture the twinkle in a classmate’s eye as he made everyone giggle. Likewise we could imagine the kind words a classmate whispered to encourage our children’s hearts and the way she would give our child a fist bump that encouraged our children to keep moving forward through the challenging moments. In the last two years, we really haven’t been able to see our children interacting with their classmates. We have class spring pictures of the whole class, pictures their sweet teachers have shared through Remind apps, but we have very few memories of our children and their classmates in the limited events that we were able to hold in person. These are the only glimpses we could see into our children’s classroom dynamics. I feel like I know our oldest daughter Mackenzie’s classmates so much better than I know Juliana’s, Ethan’s, and Kaden’s friends, because we haven’t been able to spend as much time together with their classmates and their families by being present in the everyday moments of school with our younger three children.

While watching Ethan and his friends putting on costumes and pretending to be firefighters, building giant structures out of foam blocks, and riding on wooden cars around a track, I noticed the shared experience of joy from each of the parents. All of the parents’ eyes lit up to see our children interacting with their classmates. We all shared the same joy of feeling a part of their kindergarten experience, even if it was only for a day. The camaraderie of being able to share life with the other parents even for a short window of time was so good for the soul. We need to be in community with the other parents who have kids our age. We need to support, encourage, and uplift another as we seek to raise children who will find their purpose in life and be a blessing to our communities. To know that there are other parents out there who care about our kids and want only the best for them is priceless. Parents who intentionally make time to take pictures and videos for other parents who couldn’t get away from work that day. To truly be a village again. 

Out of all of the things that living through the pandemic has taught me, stopping to reflect on the everyday blessings is something the Lord continues to remind me. Although we have 1,000 things on our to-do lists as we get ready to move and my personal days could have been used to get that process moving forward even further, saving my three personal days to go on field trips with our kids is without a doubt priceless memories that I can’t get back otherwise. Sharing the field trip experience with the teachers, administrators, and other parents was priceless for me. I hope and pray that we don’t ever have to go back to a time when it’s not safe to go on field trips. As much as physical health is important, social emotional health is equally important for our school communities. 

I can’t wait to see how these sweet, spunky, creative kindergarteners go on to make an impact on their world and show God’s glory in their unique ways. I look forward to continuing this parenting journey in community with the families He has given us.