Once your children enter school, you realise that there is one job that, as a stay-at-home mum (whether part time or full), you are expected to undertake! Yes...it's the 'parent helper' job. Now, in my books, the job description for this lovely new career should read something like: be expected to regularly sacrifice what precious little child-free time you have to undertake all the jobs that the teacher really doesn't want to do! Be expected to attend all excursions and can expect to have aching limbs and feet - not to mention ears. Panadol carrying a necessity!
So today, as a parent helper, I kindly volunteered my time (well, read into that that daughter would have howled if I didn't) to go to the local zoo. Imagine 100 little uniformed kids tearing around the small and friendly zoo, with anxious and exhausted parents in persuit (while the teachers had a lovely child-free day, I might add!). That pretty much describes it.
And why is it that your child, who normally (so the teacher says) is a model of good behaviour, suddenly brings out a whole other personality once you are around? She became loud, excited, silly, and completely full-on. Ok, yes she was very excited by the whole going on a bus to the zoo thing, but seriously, I spent my whole day trying to reign in her excitement on the one hand whilst carrying maps, drink bottles, camera, mossie spray and you-name-it in the other!
Now let's face it, had it not been for Miss 7's class, there is no way I would have been going to the zoo today. But all-in-all it was a great day. We saw so many animals including, monkeys, bears, kangaroos, koalas and snakes. I think that we walked the length of the zoo at least 6 times to visit all the displays and talks. And as we tiredly waved the school bus goodbye from the car park which was filled with the few poor kids whose mummies and daddies were working, Miss 7 delightedly turned to me and said......great, now we can keep looking cause you are here to take me home!
So after a day of so many exotic and unusual animals, I asked Miss 7 what her favourite one was when we were on the way home. Was it the baboons or the spider monkeys? No! Was it the baby crocodile? No! Was it perhaps the tiny marmoset with the baby on its back? No! So what was it then? Her reply: the baby chickens in the farmyard! Ohhhh, someone pass me a Panadol!
Enjoy the pictures of the kangaroo, marmosets and lace monitor!
