so back when my little brother was in high school, my mom went as a chaperone for their senior year field trip to an amusement park. which, you know, brave move to volunteer to supervise a bunch of high school seniors let loose in a wonderland of rollercoasters and sugar
my brother and his friends in this field trip group were truly great kids. but they were not above run of the mill teenage boy shenanigans. itâs the end of senior year, you and all your buddies are at the amusement park, youâre naturally going to want to act like a complete moron
there was one kid in the group who was especially prone to goofing around. committed to the bit, some may say. my mom knew that if nonsense was going to break out, heâd likely be at the center of it
so she goes up to this kid at the very start of the trip and says âhey, iâm kinda worried about this chaperoning thing. this might be a lot to ask, but can you help me keep an eye on everyone? you wouldnât have to do anything big, just be an extra set of eyes for me.â
friends, this kid proceeded to run their field trip group like the fucking us marines. everyone is at the meet up spots at the designated time. everyone waits in line for the rides like a bunch of boy scouts. the second the horseplay gets too out of hand, this kid is getting it back under control
itâs incredible how differently people act based on the expectations you set. instead of going to this kid and saying âhey, i know youâre trouble, so iâve got my eye on you,â my mom went âhey, i know you have influence in your peer group, so i think you can help me.â
treat someone like a problem, theyâll act like a problem. but give people a chance to help, make them feel important, and they usually rise far above the occasion. it was a stroke of genius that iâm honestly still in awe of
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