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"  I didn&amp;#039;t have a single question to ask, but the other parents did. &amp;quot;How can I be sure my child will eat the vegetables provided?&amp;quot; one concerned mother asked. The teacher in charge of the upcoming fifth grade camping trip shifted her weight as she considered how to answer the question. I tuned out the answer. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s just two dinners and two lunches, right?&amp;quot; I whispered to the mom sitting next to me. She nodded. I watched the teacher choose her words ever so carefully as I tried to figure out exactly what would the long-term effects of four meals with nary a veggie would have on the children. &amp;quot;How long can we visit on the second day?&amp;quot; another parent asked. &amp;quot;Aren&amp;#039;t they going to be gone for all of 50 or so hours?&amp;quot; I whispered to the mom on my other side. She nodded. Yet, I had no plans to drop by, and not just because it would take five hours of driving round-trip for the allotted 90-minute visit. &amp;quot;What if it rains?&amp;quot; another parent asked. &amp;quot;They&amp;#039;ll get wet?&amp;quot; I mumbled. I started to think that I needed an attitude adjustment. So many concerned parents, and yet so little worry on my part. After all, I&amp;#039;d been on the very same trip back in sixth grade. If I recall, we kids were left alone in the woods with compasses and managed to find our way back to our cabins within 40 minutes or so. Somehow, I doubt that they do that nowadays. I mean, how would their visiting parents find them? I also recall having a blast being away from my parents, creating skits with the other kids, hiking, climbing and playing harmless tricks on the girls in other cabins. I recall having fun, and I was sure my son would have fun, too. As the teacher in charge fielded a question about the materials that make up a yurt, I looked over the list of suggested items to pack. Thanks to my son&amp;#039;s Boy Scout camping trips, we had pretty much everything at home, including the rain gear the teacher was now discussing. Everything else, I&amp;#039;d pick up in the weeks to come. I checked what time we needed to drop off the kids&amp;#039; suitcases, and when we needed to pick them up, along with our kids, two days later. Honestly, that was all I needed. When the morning came for my fifth grader to leave on his trip, I gave him a hug, which he allowed reluctantly just like a boy heading into middle school would, and rubbed in a spot of sunscreen on his cheek. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ll miss you!&amp;quot; I pretend cried, and he laughed. &amp;quot;See you Friday,&amp;quot; I added. &amp;quot;Have a fantastic time.&amp;quot; And for that, there was no question about it. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/a22276/no-worries-about-the-fifth-gra/?src=shelter_footer>