Mom Vibes: The Awkward Art of the Field Trip Chaperone

lindsaympost
Nov 5
3 min read

(A day at Peacock Farms with my first grader - or, as he calls it, Peacock Farts.)

There’s a very specific kind of silence that happens right before a school bus arrives for a field trip. It’s not peaceful. It’s…suspenseful.

You stand there, backpack half-zipped, coffee cooling faster than your nerves, surrounded by other parents doing the same awkward shuffle—half excited, half wondering if this was a mistake.

I showed up looking like a mom preparing for battle—with bug spray, hand sanitizer, and a very questionable sense of authority.

Once the bus pulled up, though, everything shifted. The nervous laughter turned to chaos. The kind of beautiful chaos that only a group of first graders can create. We went from “everyone hold hands!” to “please don’t lick that!” in under six minutes.

At Peacock Farms, the kids got a taste of old-school life—chalkboards, wood desks, laundry scrubbing, goats, and pigs with more personality than half the people in the car line.

There was history. There was hay. There was a brief moment I considered hiding in the one-room schoolhouse just to breathe in the quiet of 1800s discipline.

But mostly…there was joy.

EQ Moment:

Being a chaperone is a crash course in emotional regulation. You’re managing your own discomfort (the cold, the noise, the smells) while trying to stay fully present for your kid’s excitement.

It’s empathy in real time—matching their energy while anchoring your own. You become part teacher, part crowd-control officer, part emotional support human.

And at the end of the day, when they're back on that bus and you return to your car, sticky with farm air and pride, you realize: This is what showing up looks like. Not perfectly. Not calmly. But fully.

Bonus Lessons from the Barnyard

The pig doesn’t care about your schedule. Neither do first graders.
The best memories happen between the plans. (Like when Benny did his spot-on chicken impression.)
The awkward moments are the real ones. What your kid will remember is the fact that you were there.

Mini-Message:

Parenting EQ isn’t about having it together—it’s about staying together, even when it’s loud, muddy, and slightly terrifying.

Munchies:

“Harvest Crunch Cups” Small clear cups filled with a mix of: roasted pumpkin-seeds, dried apple rings, a few dark-chocolate chips. Bonus: label them “Barnyard Fuel” and the kids might eat them too.

Movement Exercise:

“Hay-bale Hip Hinge & Reach”

Set up a low bench or sturdy platform (think “barnyard bale”).
Start standing in front of it. Hinge at the hips (push your butt back) and tap the bench with both hands.
Then reverse the motion: stand tall, reach arms overhead and inhale.
Do 3 sets of 12 taps + overhead reach.
Why it works: engages posterior chain (hip hinge = safe lift), adds reach for mobility and upper-body activation.
Tip: Imagine you’re grabbing the bale to toss, then reaching up to the sky for fresh farm air.

Music Reco:

“Free” by K-Pop Demon Hunters — because sometimes, that’s exactly what the drive home feels like.

Mind-Bender:

What's one tiny shift you can make today to channel that "don't give a damn" pig-presence: maybe it’s the pause before you answer an email, or noticing a leaf fall instead of checking your phone.

—

Snack-sized sentiments, full-sized feelings. Follow @MoveMakerMedia for more everyday chaos and emotional clarity.