FIVE

5...

Things I WON'T miss...

Field trip lunch bags full of candy for lunch,
Chaperones that sign up to be chaperones, and don't come.
Chaperones that come, but NEED to be chaperoned,
Teens in crowded spaces...unsupervised,
Tantrums on field trips when parents aren't there,
Tantrums on field trips when the parent IS there,
Shoes thrown in garbage cans,
Head injuries you watch happen, but can't stop,
muddy shoes and bottoms,
monitoring dates for field trip registration and orientations.

Things I WILL miss...

Taking four and five-year-olds to places they may have never been,

Lightning McQueen @ The Petersen Automobile Museum,

The tram ride, musical wall, garden, and Van Gogh @Getty Center,

Learning about LA history @ La Plaza de Cultural y Artes,

Music, storms, and cleaning poop @ Noah's Ark at the Skirball,

Touching sea anemones and beach sand @ Roundhouse Aquarium,

Dinosaur bones and butterflies @ The Natural History Museum,

Fresh strawberries and tractor rides @ Tanaka Farms

Climbing tree roots and learning what a space shuttle is @ California Science Center,

Crazy Metro train routes,
Kind and patient city bus drivers,
Witnessing the excitement of a first school bus ride,
Moms, dads, tias, abuelas, and abuelos that help lead bus routes,supervise other people's children, and help keep everyone safe.