Hey sweetie!
So. You did it. You've had your very first camping experience ever and did it for a week without knowing a
single other person there. You are brave and strong, caring and kind and I'm so proud to be your mom.
I hope that you tried new things and struggled but persevered until you mastered them. I hope that you
made strong friendships and stayed up late, telling silly stories and giggling. I hope that you offered
encouragement and a friendly ear to those who might have been lonely or sad and that someone did the same for you. I hope you felt the tiredness
that comes with a long, fun day. I hope you learned new songs and performed in skits, not worrying if
someone 'messed up.' I hope you looked into the dancing flames of a campfire under a million stars and
found peace in your soul. I hope you embrace the independence and strength you've discovered in yourself
this week and let it propel you into the woman you will become. I hope you stretched your wings and
soared to heights you didn't know you were capable of. But more than anything else, baby girl, to quote a
song, "I hope you had the time of your life."
I'll see you in a few hours!
Love,
Mommy
Showing posts with label camp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label camp. Show all posts
Friday, July 29, 2016
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
The Great Toilet Caper
AKA Thug Life of a Five Year Old AKA This Will Go Down On Your Permanent Record.
Summer vacation has finally started for the kids and for us that means 1) getting up earlier than for school and 2) spending the entire day outside. Doing things. Being active. At camp!!11!Eleventy!1. It's for your own good, you'll learn to swim, have the same type of childhood I did, blah blah blah nostalgia-cakes. (I figure I can get another year, maybe two out of this plan before the totally catch on that they are getting seriously screwed in this process.)
Day Two was yesterday and I was at work (when am I not? Seriously.) when I got Teh Call. Fuck. Fuckity-fuck-fuck-fuck. It was his counselor (naturally) with the news that he had been in the bathroom when the lid to the toilet tank fell and shattered.
"Is he okay?"
"Well, yes, he's fine." she replied, clearly surprised that I had asked. Really? Why wouldn't I have asked that? "But" (oh hell) "he picked up the lid and it fell and shattered so since it was destruction of property, you'll need to pay for it."
"Oookay. I understand. But he's okay, right?"
"Yes, he's fine, just some small cuts."
"All right, I'll be on the lookout for the bill. Thanks." And I went back to work, wondering what in the world would have possessed the child to investigate the inner workings of a toilet tank. I mean, other than being five-year old boy that is.
As the day wore on, it puzzled me more and more. That is so out of character for him; he's never exhibited and burning rush of investigation over the toilets at home. Maybe it's the being in a new place and having new adventures made him spazz out or something. I don't know. But those things are heavy. And while he is tall, he's not that tall to get sufficient leverage to lift it. Sigh. Oh well, we'll figure this out at home; at the very least he'll have to pay for half of the cost out of his allowance as it broke as a result of him doing something he wasn't supposed to do. We'd get a bill, we'd pay it, that would be the end of it.
Oh ho ho ho!
This morning as I dropped them off at the camp bus stop and van driver was the counselor who escorted him to the rest room yesterday. She filled me in on the story: she took him to the bathroom and while she waited outside, she heard it shatter and went in to find him crying with his swim trunks still down. She lifted him up and away from the shards and got the director. At some point in this I was called and told we were on the hook for paying for it. Then came the kicker: he was suspended from camp for today, Wednesday, June 24.
Wait, what?
Because the lid broke due to his actions, that is considered 'destruction of property' and therefore vandalism with an automatic 1-day suspension. There it was, in black and white, on the incident report form...that we didn't receive yesterday thanks to Mother Nature's epic temper tantrum.
"They didn't tell you he's not allowed to attend camp today?"
Clearly not if I'M STANDING HERE WITH A LOOK OF SHOCK, NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS AND HIM PACKED FOR CAMP.
She called the senior director to see if he could serve his suspension tomorrow seeing as we weren't aware of this. Nope. No dice. Do not pass 'Go', do not attend camp. How exactly were we supposed to know this if you didn't give us the sheet telling us this, let alone a follow-up phone call? It wasn't her fault and I tried very hard not to take it out on her but still. This is an unacceptable fail in communication. Plus, you know, he's FIVE. Probably not a dangerous criminal in training. But I get it; there are rules and consequences to breaking the rules. I have no problem with that. I do have major problem with the communication piece and how it was handled. They will be getting an earful from me when I can trust myself to not completely unload on them which at this rate might be next July.
Fortunately my mother-in-law was able to come up and spend the day with him so he kind of wins today as Grandma is his most favorite person in the entire world. I have my doubts that he actually lifted the lid; either it was already off kilter and fell when he lifted the toilet seat or he put his hand on it to peer into the opening and that shifted it enough for gravity to do its thing is a more likely and logical explanation. But the counselor probably came in, saw the mess, and asked "Did you lift it?" and in shock and pain, he probably agreed and now in his mind that is what happened. I don't blame her per se, but how things are phrased are of critical importance, otherwise you are leading the witness.
We'll never know what really happened but one thing's for sure - he'll have a helluva 'What I did during my summer vacation' essay when they get back to school. Which really can't come soon enough for me and now, I suspect, for him too.
Summer vacation has finally started for the kids and for us that means 1) getting up earlier than for school and 2) spending the entire day outside. Doing things. Being active. At camp!!11!Eleventy!1. It's for your own good, you'll learn to swim, have the same type of childhood I did, blah blah blah nostalgia-cakes. (I figure I can get another year, maybe two out of this plan before the totally catch on that they are getting seriously screwed in this process.)
Day Two was yesterday and I was at work (when am I not? Seriously.) when I got Teh Call. Fuck. Fuckity-fuck-fuck-fuck. It was his counselor (naturally) with the news that he had been in the bathroom when the lid to the toilet tank fell and shattered.
"Is he okay?"
"Well, yes, he's fine." she replied, clearly surprised that I had asked. Really? Why wouldn't I have asked that? "But" (oh hell) "he picked up the lid and it fell and shattered so since it was destruction of property, you'll need to pay for it."
"Oookay. I understand. But he's okay, right?"
"Yes, he's fine, just some small cuts."
"All right, I'll be on the lookout for the bill. Thanks." And I went back to work, wondering what in the world would have possessed the child to investigate the inner workings of a toilet tank. I mean, other than being five-year old boy that is.
As the day wore on, it puzzled me more and more. That is so out of character for him; he's never exhibited and burning rush of investigation over the toilets at home. Maybe it's the being in a new place and having new adventures made him spazz out or something. I don't know. But those things are heavy. And while he is tall, he's not that tall to get sufficient leverage to lift it. Sigh. Oh well, we'll figure this out at home; at the very least he'll have to pay for half of the cost out of his allowance as it broke as a result of him doing something he wasn't supposed to do. We'd get a bill, we'd pay it, that would be the end of it.
Oh ho ho ho!
This morning as I dropped them off at the camp bus stop and van driver was the counselor who escorted him to the rest room yesterday. She filled me in on the story: she took him to the bathroom and while she waited outside, she heard it shatter and went in to find him crying with his swim trunks still down. She lifted him up and away from the shards and got the director. At some point in this I was called and told we were on the hook for paying for it. Then came the kicker: he was suspended from camp for today, Wednesday, June 24.
Wait, what?
Because the lid broke due to his actions, that is considered 'destruction of property' and therefore vandalism with an automatic 1-day suspension. There it was, in black and white, on the incident report form...that we didn't receive yesterday thanks to Mother Nature's epic temper tantrum.
"They didn't tell you he's not allowed to attend camp today?"
Clearly not if I'M STANDING HERE WITH A LOOK OF SHOCK, NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS AND HIM PACKED FOR CAMP.
She called the senior director to see if he could serve his suspension tomorrow seeing as we weren't aware of this. Nope. No dice. Do not pass 'Go', do not attend camp. How exactly were we supposed to know this if you didn't give us the sheet telling us this, let alone a follow-up phone call? It wasn't her fault and I tried very hard not to take it out on her but still. This is an unacceptable fail in communication. Plus, you know, he's FIVE. Probably not a dangerous criminal in training. But I get it; there are rules and consequences to breaking the rules. I have no problem with that. I do have major problem with the communication piece and how it was handled. They will be getting an earful from me when I can trust myself to not completely unload on them which at this rate might be next July.
Fortunately my mother-in-law was able to come up and spend the day with him so he kind of wins today as Grandma is his most favorite person in the entire world. I have my doubts that he actually lifted the lid; either it was already off kilter and fell when he lifted the toilet seat or he put his hand on it to peer into the opening and that shifted it enough for gravity to do its thing is a more likely and logical explanation. But the counselor probably came in, saw the mess, and asked "Did you lift it?" and in shock and pain, he probably agreed and now in his mind that is what happened. I don't blame her per se, but how things are phrased are of critical importance, otherwise you are leading the witness.
We'll never know what really happened but one thing's for sure - he'll have a helluva 'What I did during my summer vacation' essay when they get back to school. Which really can't come soon enough for me and now, I suspect, for him too.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
An open letter to my daughter's summer camp
Dear Cascade Lake,
First off, let me start with my thanks. Thank you for providing a summer experience for Noelle that has her outside playing the majority of the day. You see, her dad and I have to work and I wanted for her to have the same type of outside fun that I had growing up where I was lucky enough to have my mom home. I didn't want her in a place where they'd be inside most of the time with field trips to the outside (!) for play. You offer swimming and exploring and sports all day? Perfect. Swim lessons provided by Red Cross-trained life guards? Gimme that pen; now where do I sign? I love it. She loves it. It's perfect.
There is just one thing. You see, being outside in the summer requires sun protection. Noelle, being of northern European stock, has a skin tone that best be described as 'death warmed over'.
You notice the striking resemblance to this famous person, no?
Clearly this could be problematic, yes? Good thing that there are plenty of products on the market today designed to keep fair skin, well, fair. This magic product? Sunscreen. But the secret to the success of the magical elixir is you actually have to apply it to the skin for it to work. And when you don't, this is what happens.
The long-term effects of sun exposure aside, can we discuss the wisdom of trusting a 7 YEAR OLD to thoroughly and completely coat her skin with said sunscreen? Hell, adults need help covering our backs, didja stop to think that maybe kids would require assistance too? I shouldn't have to have the camp bus driver make a note to have the staff apply sunscreen to my child so she can avoid returning home looking like she was dunked in the same shade of hot pink that once graced the bedroom walls of my sister.
Cascade, we love this camp. She's made friends and learned to swim and discovered a passion for basketball. We plan on sending her little brother Noah there next summer. If you could just do your part of using the sunscreen I provide to keep her from becoming the star attraction of a lobster bake, I have a feeling we can totes be BFFs.
Kisses,
Caspar's Mom
First off, let me start with my thanks. Thank you for providing a summer experience for Noelle that has her outside playing the majority of the day. You see, her dad and I have to work and I wanted for her to have the same type of outside fun that I had growing up where I was lucky enough to have my mom home. I didn't want her in a place where they'd be inside most of the time with field trips to the outside (!) for play. You offer swimming and exploring and sports all day? Perfect. Swim lessons provided by Red Cross-trained life guards? Gimme that pen; now where do I sign? I love it. She loves it. It's perfect.
There is just one thing. You see, being outside in the summer requires sun protection. Noelle, being of northern European stock, has a skin tone that best be described as 'death warmed over'.
You notice the striking resemblance to this famous person, no?
Clearly this could be problematic, yes? Good thing that there are plenty of products on the market today designed to keep fair skin, well, fair. This magic product? Sunscreen. But the secret to the success of the magical elixir is you actually have to apply it to the skin for it to work. And when you don't, this is what happens.
The long-term effects of sun exposure aside, can we discuss the wisdom of trusting a 7 YEAR OLD to thoroughly and completely coat her skin with said sunscreen? Hell, adults need help covering our backs, didja stop to think that maybe kids would require assistance too? I shouldn't have to have the camp bus driver make a note to have the staff apply sunscreen to my child so she can avoid returning home looking like she was dunked in the same shade of hot pink that once graced the bedroom walls of my sister.
Cascade, we love this camp. She's made friends and learned to swim and discovered a passion for basketball. We plan on sending her little brother Noah there next summer. If you could just do your part of using the sunscreen I provide to keep her from becoming the star attraction of a lobster bake, I have a feeling we can totes be BFFs.
Kisses,
Caspar's Mom
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