Yesterday our middle school show choir competed in Irving, Texas, then spent the day at Six Flags.  Brayden is not in the Show Choir, because heaven FORBID she do anything as tricky as sing and dance at the same time in front of an audience and risk embarrassment, even though I promise you she would be a natural but does she listen to me?  No ………… but she is a member of the Mixed Chorus which was also scheduled to compete.  So I signed up to be a sponsor, bought our tickets, paid for her seat on the chartered bus, and agreed to show up at the school at the ungodly hour of 3:00 AM to follow the bus on the road (I chose to drive my own vehicle because I wanted the freedom to leave if  someone got sick or needed to come home early.  NOT because the alternative was being on a chartered bus at 3am with 45 middle schoolers, I assure you.)  (snort)

Then the Mixed Chorus part of the competition was canceled.

Of course it was.

Since I had already paid, and paid for Brayden, and plenty of her friends were still going, I decided to go ahead and attend.

Even at the ungodly hour of 3:00 am.

Do you know what time you have to set your alarm to actually BE somewhere at 3:00 AM????  I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to live down the street from the school.  I estimate I got an extra seven minutes sleep that way.

Anyway, we went, the Show Choir performed well, and then the kids and chaperones were turned loose in Six Flags.  For safety sake, the kids were put in groups that they were not allowed to leave UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH, and most of those groups had an adult with them, so all told I’d say it was pretty controlled.  And even the groups that didn’t have adults …. well …. these *are* 7th and 8th graders we’re talking about, 13 and 14 years old.  At some point we have to trust they can walk around an amusement park without getting lost or leaving with strangers or causing too much trouble or getting arrested, right?

At least that’s what I told myself.

Brayden’s group had four girls and the world’s cutest boy in it, and we were having fun, but then the boy bailed for another group with more boys (ie, more TESTOSTERONE) because Brayden was the only one in our group who would ride the roller coasters with him and trust me, if BRAYDEN is the brave one in a group, then its a pretty sedentary group. 

I realized about half way through the day, when I worried aloud for the third time that the kids needed more sunscreen, and did anyone need to go potty?  that I’ve turned into my mother. 

There were a few things that hopefully helped me gain “cool” points:

1. I was willing to sit and hold the various purses and sunglasses and backpacks when the kids rode rides, because did you know some rides at Six Flags, which don’t allow bags on them, now have “bag lockers” and you have to pay a dollar to leave your bag in one while you ride?  Seriously, don’t even get me started.

2.  I had extra cash because did you know some parents send their kids to spend twelve hours in Six Flags with only ten bucks?  Now, it had been a long time since I had been to Six Flags, but I can tell you, ten bucks won’t even buy a decent lunch and a drink, let alone two meals, drinks, snacks, or any kind of souvenir.  I think that girl was embarrassed to take money from me, but come on.  After five or six hours walking around the park, she needed a stinking bottled water.

3.  I totally just followed the kids around the park, at a respectful distance, and didn’t try to be all Bossy-Pants about their schedule or route (even if they were just walking in circles because really kids, would it kill you to try and read a map????)

4.  At lunch and dinner, I sat at the next table over and didn’t try to butt into their conversations about which boys in the park were the cutest.**

5.  I actually had tylenol with me when needed by a member of our group.  See also:  sunscreen and hand sanitizer.

Things that made me NOT cool at Six Flags:

1.  I had to leave the group for a few hours during the afternoon to go lie down in my van and take a nap.  Hey, what can I say.  I’m old, I’d been up since 2am, and I knew I also had to drive back, not arriving at the school until after midnight.  It was either nap, or run the risk of late-night collision on I-35 in Dallas.  Although, considering that meant the girls got to hang by themselves in the park, ogling cute boys, for almost two hours, this should perhaps put me in the “cool” column again.

2.  Brayden asked how I liked her souvenir sunglasses and I truthfully told her they were the ugliest things I’d ever seen.  Then realized the entire group bought matching sunglasses.  Oops.

**I would like it noted that my 13 year old daughter, who 95% of the time cannot be bothered to say a kind or appreciative word to me because she is too busy rolling her eyes and flouncing out of the room, left her friends both meals and came to my table and ate with me so I wouldn’t have to eat alone.  One time she did it out of the goodness of her heart; one time she did it because she needed aspirin.  Both time I suspect she was just happy I paid for her meal, leaving her more money to spend on souvenirs, but that’s ok ……….. I’ll take it.