Whoa… I could see myself being the unwilling tour guide-apparent for the moms of this city and their fussy, crying children. I had to shut my heart and bite my lip, and I led my son a few steps closer to the waiting school bus, still awaiting those doors to open and let us on.

My boy is almost four years old, -just old enough to feel empathy and I noticed that he “looked concerned” about what was going on around us. Sad and disillusioned parental faces; a child or two weeping as they were told that they couldn’t go on the bus. -Release my soul, please, from any further thoughts of chivalrous acts!

The bus finally let us board we quickly chose our seats, trying to look fat so as to not have to share with anyone else our hard-fought-for and won seat and right-to-ride. Some chronic over-booking of this outing meant that some riders had to double-up on the seating and those seats could easily accommodate TWO people, but THREE would be uncomfortable.

One child, -I felt sorry for whatever he was clearly suffering from, -separation anxiety, maybe, began to cry for his mother. He had to be removed from the bus when he started yelling, “I can’t take it! I can’t take it!” and he shoved his way for the still open doors

A teacher or aide tried to consol him out on the sidewalk, but it was to no avail and the child was walked away, I presume, back to the school to phone the mom and await her retrieval of the clearly terrified child.

We did finally start out, and it was only a 20-minute ride to the Ferry Boat station, and another fifteen minutes to get to Center Island. We were given our timetable, instructed when and where to re-group, we were “turned loose” upon the Island to explore, play and generally do whatever we wanted. Most fled to the Centerville Amusement Park. My eclectic son and I opted instead to sit by the swan pond and feed friendly swans and ducks morsels of our peanut butter sandwiches that we had brought.

We took photographs of flower gardens, statues, and generally worked out way towards the beaches and the splash pads where we spent the next four-plus hours just doing whatever my child wanted to do! Today, -he was the boss!

It was an exciting, busy day and we had such a good time! Bedtime would come early tonight, and my child didn’t fight it.

In his sleep that night I overheard him laughing, -clearly, reliving some of the events of the previous day School Field Trip to The Toronto Islands. And whoever laughs the most, -wins!