Although my family lives in a fairly secluded area, several times per year we attend local events that attract thousands of people. I always cringe when these extravaganzas come to town because I like my children where I can see them, right next to me and not wandering about in gigantic crowds. Next week the biggest of the big events will be here, the Winter X Games. My older two children have already begun to vibrate in happiness at the mere thought of this outdoor party. The local schools will let out, there will be carnival games, free samples galore, cool athletes performing even cooler stunts and thousands upon thousands of people. A couple of years ago my older son, then just 12, did not show up at the designated meeting place and much drama ensued. As a result of that snafu we have implicated a plan for times such as the upcoming games, I call it The Plan.

The Plan consists of common sense, synchronized clocks and an airtight understanding of everybody's expectations. It goes something like this:

1. Know the lay of the land. The X Games happens to be on the side of a ski mountain. There is no parking, only buses. It is cold. There is more noise than humanly imaginable. This said, I make sure my son knows exactly what events he wants to watch, the safest routes to get there and the times during which they occur.
2. Know the schedule. Get an event planner several days before the happening. This way you can plan which events are the most alluring. By coordinating the times and days, a bus schedule can also be established.
3. Stay in communication. Due to the noise level of this particular event, communicating by phone is difficult. My son carries his own cell phone and we establish a schedule throughout the day when he will either find a quiet location to call or text me a message.
4. Allow time for crowd control. Just because an event ends at a certain time there is no guarantee that my son will be able to catch the bus immediately following said event. If something ends at 7 p.m. I give him at least 20 minutes to maneuver through the throngs of people.

Although the above points are not rocket science it helps to keep everybody aware and abreast of any and all plans. Since implicating it we have had no lost family members and large events have been much less stressful.