Dear Youngest Son
It was so great seeing you on visiting day at camp.
I remember our first visiting day when I dropped my bag to run to hug you and you ran away from me.
The counselor literally chased you around the bunk to have you come say hello to me.
I promised you I would never do that to you again and I have held up my end of the bargain but throw your Mother a little hug after 3 1/2 weeks, would you?
I'm glad you were happy with the loads of junk food we provided you. It's unimaginable how you go 24 days without consuming that much sugar on a daily basis so I know your growing teen body is craving the gummy worms, bears, snakes and cherries that we provided you. Thank you for thanking me but "letting" me change your sheets for you. It was comforting to know that you had already changed them at least once this past session.
I found it interesting you said you had no room in your cubbies for your clothes.
I totally got it once I opened them up and saw your rubiks cube, 3 sports bottles, a notebook, 3 unopened books, and your missing flip flop shoved on top of your 3 pairs of shorts. (Relieved that the other 6 I packed you with were in fact, actually, in the laundry bag)
Daddy was very happy to wash out your personalized sports bottle but a bit baffled why you couldn't do it with the dish soap that we provided you. We totally understood much better when you told us that Dad does a much better job at this. Very similar I imagine to the much better job your Mother does at making your bed.
Oh youngest, it was amazing to see you. I loved hearing about the play, how you got up on waterskiis, how you are "pretty sure" you've washed your towels and that you are "positive" your shoes do not smell from your blacken feet.
It was great that after 2 hours in (with only 4 hours left of a pouring rainy visiting day to go) that you asked us "how much more time do you have here"? I am confident it was in reference to "please dont go" as opposed to "when are you leaving?". After all, our bonding time was over and the screen took over
***(relax all. Yes, I brought the screen but it was not used all day long) (To be honest, after the first 40 eye rolls I was happy I brought the screen)
40 minutes before the end of visiting day and only after he made sure we dropped off his birthday gift in the office (for him to only open on, obviously, his birthday) we left. A quick fist bump to his brother (forced) and an obligatory hug to his parents; he was off.
I did a quick run around camp to say goodbye to my camp alum family and took off.
They are not the visiting days I imagined.
They are not filled with hours of a teen boy filling me in on the ins and outs, gossip and social lives of his days of camp.
What it is filled with is a few hours of telling me about recent trip days, activities he loves, how he loved camp "chinese food", Friday night services are "not so bad", he has the best counselors in camp, he hopes to waterski again next month, his counselor taught him how to do the entire rubiks cube, he cannot wait to be part of "tech" in the play, and how he cannot wait to turn 13 at his happiest place on earth. (Okay, I said that part but I know it's the truth).
And then he gets tired. Because it's weird being with your parents after having not been with your parents for so long.
And he's tired because he stopped running, playing, swimming, creating, dancing and singing for a few hours and it's weird to be in non camp mode during the summer.
And him pushing me out is only because he cannot wait to resume his independent, free spirit, creative self and hang with his summer brothers for another 3 1/2 weeks.
So dont worry my dear youngest son. I take no offense to you asking me what time it is because your happiness is my happiness.
And my camp is now your camp.
And that...
that is everything.
Happy Almost 13th Birthday.
I'm so glad you will get to skip around the room.
It was so great seeing you on visiting day at camp.
I remember our first visiting day when I dropped my bag to run to hug you and you ran away from me.
The counselor literally chased you around the bunk to have you come say hello to me.
I promised you I would never do that to you again and I have held up my end of the bargain but throw your Mother a little hug after 3 1/2 weeks, would you?
I'm glad you were happy with the loads of junk food we provided you. It's unimaginable how you go 24 days without consuming that much sugar on a daily basis so I know your growing teen body is craving the gummy worms, bears, snakes and cherries that we provided you. Thank you for thanking me but "letting" me change your sheets for you. It was comforting to know that you had already changed them at least once this past session.
I found it interesting you said you had no room in your cubbies for your clothes.
I totally got it once I opened them up and saw your rubiks cube, 3 sports bottles, a notebook, 3 unopened books, and your missing flip flop shoved on top of your 3 pairs of shorts. (Relieved that the other 6 I packed you with were in fact, actually, in the laundry bag)
Daddy was very happy to wash out your personalized sports bottle but a bit baffled why you couldn't do it with the dish soap that we provided you. We totally understood much better when you told us that Dad does a much better job at this. Very similar I imagine to the much better job your Mother does at making your bed.
Oh youngest, it was amazing to see you. I loved hearing about the play, how you got up on waterskiis, how you are "pretty sure" you've washed your towels and that you are "positive" your shoes do not smell from your blacken feet.
It was great that after 2 hours in (with only 4 hours left of a pouring rainy visiting day to go) that you asked us "how much more time do you have here"? I am confident it was in reference to "please dont go" as opposed to "when are you leaving?". After all, our bonding time was over and the screen took over
***(relax all. Yes, I brought the screen but it was not used all day long) (To be honest, after the first 40 eye rolls I was happy I brought the screen)
40 minutes before the end of visiting day and only after he made sure we dropped off his birthday gift in the office (for him to only open on, obviously, his birthday) we left. A quick fist bump to his brother (forced) and an obligatory hug to his parents; he was off.
I did a quick run around camp to say goodbye to my camp alum family and took off.
They are not the visiting days I imagined.
They are not filled with hours of a teen boy filling me in on the ins and outs, gossip and social lives of his days of camp.
What it is filled with is a few hours of telling me about recent trip days, activities he loves, how he loved camp "chinese food", Friday night services are "not so bad", he has the best counselors in camp, he hopes to waterski again next month, his counselor taught him how to do the entire rubiks cube, he cannot wait to be part of "tech" in the play, and how he cannot wait to turn 13 at his happiest place on earth. (Okay, I said that part but I know it's the truth).
And then he gets tired. Because it's weird being with your parents after having not been with your parents for so long.
And he's tired because he stopped running, playing, swimming, creating, dancing and singing for a few hours and it's weird to be in non camp mode during the summer.
And him pushing me out is only because he cannot wait to resume his independent, free spirit, creative self and hang with his summer brothers for another 3 1/2 weeks.
So dont worry my dear youngest son. I take no offense to you asking me what time it is because your happiness is my happiness.
And my camp is now your camp.
And that...
that is everything.
Happy Almost 13th Birthday.
I'm so glad you will get to skip around the room.
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