Nightmare
I’m at the airport again, and as I walked toward the security check line I quickly noticed (if I noticed, it must have been some sight) that lots of adults were hanging out on the ropes and lots of teenagers were in the security check line. As I got closer, I heard many of the adults talking and then shouting to kids as they moved through the lines and got closer to the “No one without a ticket beyond this point” zone. It was actually pretty funny watching the kids roll their eyes and some even say, “Mom that’s enough”. The guy behind me was curious enough to ask one of the obviously nervous parents what was up, and that parent informed him that 195 recently graduated, just left high school teenagers were heading to the Grand Caymans with 5 chaperones all on the same flight.
Now I’m a pretty trusting soul, but I can’t imagine liking or approving of my 18 or 19 year old, just out of high school son or daughter joining 194 of their closest partying friends for a trip out of the country, even less so with only 5 chaperones. One mother said, “I lectured her the entire 2 hours here”. Another mother kept saying, “don’t hold your passport, and make sure you put it up where you know where to find it.” Another mother said, “come give me one more kiss”.Â
My wife and I are pretty trusting people though we worry a lot even today when our kids go on just short trips. We’ve suffered through cross country road trips and school trips to major cities, but we haven’t had the privilege of listening to one of our children say they wanted to leave the country with 194 other kids to celebrate a graduation. My wife still gets worried when our married daughter gets home late at night to an empty house or when our 14 year old has to walk to the bus stop by herself. I can’t imagine what she would do if one of our three popped in one day and said they were heading overseas with a plane full of partying friends.
I’ll say a quick prayer for the 195 kids, definitely for the 5 chaperones, and certainly for the 195 sets of parents left behind…what a nightmare.