Camp D-Day

Last Sunday was D-Day. Thanks right, the big camp drop-off day. My little guy is at camp for the two weeks. A destination two years in the making. 

My son proposed the idea of going to sleep away camp when he was seven years old had had been hearing kids at his day camp talk about how much fun they'd had at sleepaway camp. First, he asked about going the next year and I pushed it back one more and said we'd consider him going at nine years old. So, fast forward a year from his proposed idea. He hops in the car after day 1 of session 1 of his day camp and says:

P: "Mom, remember how last year you said I could go to away camp next year? Well can I go?"

Now, let's keep in mind that he can't remember to clean up his toys five minutes after I've asked him, but he can remember the conversation from a year ago. Typical. 

So, a promise of consideration is a promise of consideration. Plus, I wasn't opposed to him going, I just worried about some of his impulse control challenges and difficulties following directions, but we had a year to work on strengthening those skills. I wasn't sure what we were going to do about the him singing himself to sleep. That may just have to play itself out. So, I began researching. I cast the net wide to camps colleagues worked at in the summer, camps my students had attended, and ADHD camps. Brochures were requested. A few phone calls and email communications were had. Two site visits were done with my son in tow. Distance and costs mattered (i.e. The camp at the top of Maine on the way to Canada was a no-go for our first time camper).  Other than that, he got to make the choice. The site visits helped make it real for him and in the end he chose one of those, which I was glad about. 

As we drive the hourto camp, my son had what so many of us have experienced before - nervous excitement. He never admitted it out loud, but a parent knows. He was excited about this adventure and a little netvous about the unexpected. And like any parent on their kid's first day of anything new (school, camp, job, etc.), I too was nervous and just wanted him to have a good start, be treated nicely, treat others nicely, and make a new friend or two. 

Now, I don't really know how things are going. No news is good news in my book and calling the camp to check in, not my thing. I've seen some pictures from the first week on the camp photo website and my boy seems to be getting settled. 

What I do know for sure is the following:

* He's eating more dessert than he ever gets at home, so that's a win in his book. 

* He will ignore the self-addressed stamp envelopes and notes I included in his trunk despite receiving letters from home. (CORRECTION: we got one unsigned letter asking for socks, which were actually already packed in his trunk under his bunk; he provided no details about how camp was going.)

* He will have moments along the way and he will have to navigate through them

* He will most likely be dirty when I pick him up (he has plenty of underwear to offset the lack of showering...)

In the end, my son had an idea/goal, provided an argument for why he'd like to go, and now he's experiencing his first real adventure away from home. How can a parent not be proud? 😊