I Bribed My Daughter To Go On a School Trip, and Here's Why

Outdoor Education is a rite of passage for suburban kids in Colorado. Each Fall, just after school is in full swing and we all are back in the rituals and routines, middle schoolers are bussed off for three days and two nights to a mountain setting to expand their learning. At registration for school in August I was handed the packet of information, and the bill. $150.00. That sure put a new perspective on school fees. I wrote the check, knowing full well that there would be reluctance from my daughter to go. Now it's six weeks later and I'm looking over the list of what to take/what not to take and my daughter tells me she is not going. Wait. What?

I know she is just like many of the other kids in her sixth grade, a bit fearful about being away from home and being out of her element. However, this is a not to miss opportunity! I remember our two sixth grade classes (probably 55 kids at the most, back in the day) heading off to Singin' River Ranch  and the fun we had. We shared a cabin and slept in bunk beds, ate food in the mess hall just like in the movie Meatballs. We got muddy and ran around, and made new friends, and lots of memories.

I can understand her reluctance to go. I knew that she would resist. I hoped she would become excited as the trip got closer. Not so. No amount of discussion, suggestions, or threats could change her mind. I was on the brink of giving in and letting her be "that kid who stayed home" and then my husband suggested that we find out what she would like in exchange. A night out with a friend? Movies? The arcade? There must be something....

I approached her later that day. I brought up the time she had a tooth pulled and how I had asked her "What will it take to get that tooth out?" She had been fighting the dentist and refused to open her mouth. I needed to reach deep inside and find out just what I could do to get it done. That time it was new sheets for her bed. This time... I knew it wasn't going to be that simple.

So she pondered the idea for a few minutes, and I told her that I didn't have unlimited funds but it would be worth it for her. And when she responded, her choice made me smile (and jump for joy on the inside). Books. That's all it would take, books. How did I ever get so lucky?