Day at the Zoo

One of the great perks of working at First Citizens is that we get 16 hours each year for "school functions."  It's a fairly ambiguous term that can mean lots of things.  My boss also has small children and we think that it means that we can chaperone field trips. I did that today for Lily's class trip to the zoo.

The way they did it was to give each parent 2 or 3 kids, including their own.  Lily and I toured the zoo with Kimberly.  Kimberly was very sweet, but as with most kids her attitude started to fly south a bit as she got tired. It's tough not being able to employ any of my usual tactics because she isn't my kid.  I felt like the typical impotent parent in just asking her to do what I'm asking her to do, such as not to climb on the railings or to stay on the path.

Overall, I think we all had a good time.  I know that Lily and I did.  We ended up with incredible weather, though it was cool and slightly drizzly at the start it never really did rain and it ended up being sunny and mild by the afternoon.  The polar bear at the NC zoo is a lot of fun. The chimps were entertaining as were the gorillas and the baboons.  I really enjoyed seeing a scarlet ibis.  Just put an OSU scarf on it and you're all set!  We also liked seeing a momma elephant bathe herself and her baby tried to chase a goose.

I look forward to seeing what next year's field trip brings.