Vacation... what is that??

[snickerd3]

why does a marching band need to go to Ireland in the first place?  You are not a jerk, I  would require the same or more contributions from my own kiddos.  

 

[snickerd3]

we have already had to have the vacations/things are expensive, you don't always get or go where you want because of the cost.  Life is full of disappointments, get used to it discussions with a 6 yr old.  

 

[Road Guy]

They have won the state band "competition" like 8 of the last 10 years... Guess they just have to one up themselves... The band parents are just fucking cult like... And the director just feeds off of it... Our old HS back home went to friggin CHINA last year....

I mean they just went to the rose bowl 2 years ago? That was like $1800.

I think our week to shithole central Florida last year was less than $3K for 5 of us!

The yearly band budget is something like $80,000!!!!!

 

[snickerd3]

^ that would pay for two new teachers in our school district.  That's nuts.  

 

[Road Guy]

That's not paid by the school / taxes. That's paid by parents and the every Friday night bingo scam they have going.. I think just from Bingo they make something like $50,000 a year....

 

[roadwreck]

I have zero desire to go visit these euro trash countries but I think it's way too much for these schools to put this on the parents.

Ireland is a eruo-trash country?  DAMNIT!!! I wish you could have let me know this before I was about to go there on vacation. :\

 

[snickerd3]

That's not paid by the school / taxes. That's paid by parents and the every Friday night bingo scam they have going.. I think just from Bingo they make something like $50,000 a year....

well they can hold a couple more bingo nights and pay for everyone to go

 

[csb]

I remember coming home from seventh grade after an EF tours presentation at school. My parents told me I was fucking crazy if I thought they'd shell out $1200 so I could go to Europe. 

 

[snickerd3]

I remember coming home from seventh grade after an EF tours presentation at school. My parents told me I was fucking crazy if I thought they'd shell out $1200 so I could go to Europe. 

I knew my parents didn't have that kind of money so I never brought home the paperwork from those things.  

 

[snickerd3]

I did go on a DC trip in 7th or 8th grade, but I paid for it myself.  

 

[Road Guy]

How would a middle school kid cough up that kind of dough?

 

[roadwreck]

Hookers and blow? :dunno:  

 

[snickerd3]

How would a middle school kid cough up that kind of dough?

i never spent birthday or christmas $.  back in the 90's with 4 to a room, i think it was only like $500.

 

[Ble_PE]

Honestly, it's not right for a 12-13 year old to be expected to pay for something like that. Part of the responsibility of being a parent is giving your kid the opportunity to expand their horizons and travel to places like this (whether as a family on vacation or with school). Now $4000 to go to Ireland with the band is a bit steep and asking the kid to help foot the bill would be reasonable in my opinion, but if it were my kid and I had the means to pay for it all, I would. You reap what you sow so to speak, and I want to provide my kids with as much as I can while I have them at home. I'm not going to sacrifice my livelihood to do it, but I won't be stingy either. 

 

[snickerd3]

my parents paid for dance lessons/costumes/competitions for us both.  that shit gets expensive  

 

[snickerd3]

vacations growing up for us, were spending the weekend at the Holiday Inn Holidome in a nearby town.  

 

[MA_PE]

When my son was in high school they took a "class trip" to Italy.  My wife says "he HAS to go, all his friends are going"  $2500 <smh>.

Younger son was on the town bantam hockey team.  At the beginning of the year the coach said that we need to decide whether to go for a national tier or for the state tier title.  He pushed hard for national so we (all the parents) said ok, whatever.  Nearing the end of the season the team was in the middle in the standings so they didn't win locally, but we were the only "national bound" tean so we had a sopt in the national finals.......in East Lansing MI for ~$1500/kid.  The parents collectively said "we aren't going".  The coach wasn't happy.  the local team that took our spot got killed in every game they played.

On the other hand, a team from CO (imagine that) brought the team out to MA to play in a local tournament against northeast teams.  Their coaches approached us and other local teams for games while they were out here in addition to the tournament games, so the kids could get more playing time against northeast teams.  We were kind of amazed that the parents would pay that kind of money to get their 14-15 yos more hockey games, but people in Denver make fatty money.

 

[mudpuppy]

Ireland is a eruo-trash country?  DAMNIT!!! I wish you could have let me know this before I was about to go there on vacation. :\

Yeah, I wouldn't lump Ireland in with the euro-trash. Those irish mofo's will drink you under the table and then kick your ass.

When my son was in high school they took a "class trip" to Italy.  My wife says "he HAS to go, all his friends are going"  $2500 <smh>.

Younger son was on the town bantam hockey team.  At the beginning of the year the coach said that we need to decide whether to go for a national tier or for the state tier title.  He pushed hard for national so we (all the parents) said ok, whatever.  Nearing the end of the season the team was in the middle in the standings so they didn't win locally, but we were the only "national bound" tean so we had a sopt in the national finals.......in East Lansing MI for ~$1500/kid.  The parents collectively said "we aren't going".  The coach wasn't happy.  the local team that took our spot got killed in every game they played.

On the other hand, a team from CO (imagine that) brought the team out to MA to play in a local tournament against northeast teams.  Their coaches approached us and other local teams for games while they were out here in addition to the tournament games, so the kids could get more playing time against northeast teams.  We were kind of amazed that the parents would pay that kind of money to get their 14-15 yos more hockey games, but people in Denver make fatty money.

Hey, look me up next time--East Lansing is right up the street.

 

[goodal]

Nope, nope, nope.  No way would that be considered at badal's house.  Even if I had money running out every orifice.  Either the school coughs it up (ie. tax payer funded) or they fundraise it.  Frick, $4k a kid is a bunch of dough for them to "expand their horizons".  For one, I'm sure there are parents that can't afford it.  Do those poor guys get to stay home?  If up to me, they raise what they can raise and the whole band gets to do whatever they can afford even if its a trip to Dairy Queen.   

 

[Ramnares P.E.]

With RG and goodal on this one.  There is no freaking way I'm shelling out $4000 for my kid to go on a vacation.  If he wants to go badly enough then he can trade in cans/mow lawns/wash cars and do whatever it takes to raise the money to go, and only if his grades are freaking pristine.  I want the best for my kid too but I'm not emotionally scarred from not going on every freaking HS and college trip that came along.