obligations........

I don't want to get too specific........ ah, heck I do!

in the past 2 weeks, 2 different chaperones have had to drop out of R's school field trip. I don't know why the second person dropped out. and as much as I don't want to wish something bad to happen to someone, I sure hope something bad happened for them to flake on 115 kids!

the first person, however, is the one I would truly like to smack upside the head. everyone was told back in August that they would need to get fingerprinted. State law, District law, whatever! it used to be you only needed to get fingerprinted for overnight trips but a couple years ago it changed to do ANYTHING with the students you had to get fingerprinted. the process takes about 20 minutes at one of about a dozen police stations in the greater Sacto area. then they do the background check stuff. they tell you it takes about 90 days. don't have a clue WHY..... but it does!

anyway, back to the first flake. guess what they never "found time" to do?!??! oh you got it! so with less than a month until the trip they are short a chaperone...... one who had an econo van that they were going to transport 9 kids.......and a trailer for lots of gear. so, yeah, what a pickle!

so what I want to know is: how do you look your kid in the face and explain to them that you can't do something you committed to because you couldn't get your act together and get fingerprinted? and if kids can't go because there aren't enough chaperones how can you show your face at any school function ever? and really, what kind of parent or role model can you be if you, as a grown-up, can't meet your commitments? how can you hold your own child accountable if you can't do something as simple as find the time sometime in 6 months to go get fingerprinted?

(aaaah....... now who did I borrow this soap box from?)