The first thing that came to mind when I read your post was "man, it sure would be crowded if every kids' parent went along." There will be other field trips and other chances to chaperone. Pick the one that's most interesting to you, and it will be something fun you and your son will be able to talk about fondly for years to come. In 10 years of school field trips, I've only chaperoned one. I can be pretty certain neither of my kids has suffered because of that. Actually, my son asks me NOT to chaperone. It's embarrassing to have your mom along (even though I'm considered the cool mom of the bunch). LOL