How not to teach your son to ride Trax...

Today was a big and scary day for me.  Colby is getting a job working at the U and he's going to have to get there on Trax.  It's a scary thing to send my (technically) oldest son off on his own, riding a train, a whole hour away...and did I mention he has to transfer in downtown SLC?  I know he's almost an adult, but letting go is very hard.  I know the first day he goes alone I'm going to really be sweating it until I know he's safely there and safely home again...

So today I ventured out with him to "show him where to go"... Little did he know, I didn't know where I was going.  We got on the train okay...and all was fine until I got us off at the wrong stop.  (Colby was watching the Trax map and he mentioned more than once that he thought maybe we should stay on for one more stop but since all-knowing mom said NO, we got off anyway).  About the moment the train left, I realized we were in the wrong place.  Looking around, I saw nothing familiar and no one but a homeless man and a lot of graffiti.  It was one of those "do as I say, not as I do" moments.

We hoofed it a couple of blocks (I followed the tracks so at least I knew we'd eventually find another station), passing a lot of construction areas, a very scary park, and a group of loitering men (okay, I probably shouldn't be judging, but they were scary and I was sweating a little...)  Finally, we made our way to the library and a trax station that would take us to the University.

When we finally got up there and made it off at the right stop, Colby was the one with directions to the building we were looking for.  Curiously, he wouldn't let me see them, but instead lead us to where we needed to go.  I'm not sure, but I think that may be insulting.  Whatever the case, he got us straight there.

Luckily the return trip home was uneventful.  When I asked him if he was nervous to ride the train alone, he said "well, not as long as I get off at the right place."  Maybe he DID learn something from our adventure:  "Pay attention, know what you're doing...and don't follow your dumb mother."  I'm sure his first ride will be way less scary than this one.