As extremely helpful as that reduced cost was, the truth is that she was going to go regardless. Two of her best friends were already signed up and her older sister had told her all about the many times that she had gone. She was excited and after finding somebody to cover one of my shifts and booking a campsite for myself elsewhere, so was I.
It’s possible that we oversold it. There were a few weeks when she was younger that she spent with grammies while her mother and I vacationed and weekends away with Girl Scouts that included mothers of her best friends as chaperones and leadership, but this was her first time being away from anyplace that she called home or anyone that she would call family for such an extended amount of time. She was nervous, I was nervous, and maybe the expectation level was set too high. Phones or electronics weren’t allowed so there was no contact for the entire week. In order for me to not get misty at drop off and be able to enjoy myself while she was gone it was crucial that all parties involved believe that she was going to have a fantastic time.
The jury is still out. Only one of her friends ended up in her cabin and they picked a bad week to not get along, but it was also in the upper 90’s the entire time. Temperatures were not ideal for a week of outdoor activities or for getting along with other people. She wasn’t any good at knitting and picked up a nasty head cold.
As we get a few more days removed though, it seems the good memories are far outweighing the bad. Archery was fun and she enjoyed learning how to crochet. She made a friend from New York who helped her gather the courage to learn how to dive, something that in all my years of attending Boy Scout camp I never did. She started learning American Sign Language and wants to continue with it. The sketchbook that she brought with her is now a scrap book, the letters that she received from her mother and I taped to pages beside meal seating tickets, goodbye notes from counselors and other various remembrances.
Most importantly, she’s willing to go back. Not only because that gives me a kid free week next summer but also because I think it’s a good experience. Seven years ago I was writing a blog post about how proud I was of her older sister for getting out of her comfort zone and going. All of those same things hold true today with the next kid. Maybe calling it a milestone is overboard but it’s an important step, a new level of independence that shouldn’t be understated.
Hopefully next year it won’t be so damn hot.
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Previously Published on thirstydaddy.com
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Photo credit: Shutterstock
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