Yes – summer camp has finally arrived! And Casey and Camp are away for an entire week…
Good Enough Mother was almost as ecstatic as the kids were when camp getaway day arrived. I love it when my kids are excited about something because it keeps the dust down at home. There was not one cross word or pissy fight over inconsequential nonsense the entire morning. If only every day could be that way.
I’ll spare you the play by play but the camp bus was late so all the kids went inside the music school to wait for it. I started to pull away when I realized I forgot to take my “kids-to-camp” photo so I went back inside. There was Cole, holding court and telling bad jokes from his iPhone (remember?). Of course, because he is an uber-cool pre-teen, he had to stomp and sigh loudly when I pulled him and his sister outside for a quick pic. I had to work fast as his adoring public was waiting so this was the best I could do.
I joke a lot about my kids and being away from them but honestly I think it’s important for both of us. I think they need time away from me as much as I do, them. They can and do learn from people other than their parents and I think it’s important for them to understand how to work in a group setting where democracy rules, not the benevolent dictatorship that I run around here.
Every night before I drift off, I gaze at the moon, the same one shining brightly over their campground. I wonder if, before they go to sleep, they think of me, as I do them. Then I snap back to reality, knowing the only thing they’re thinking of is how to sneak in to the camp office so they can play the Meow Mix commercial off YouTube over the PA system. Just like last year. And that’s how it should be.
What about you? Do you find yourself craving peace and quiet and when you finally get it, or long for the chaos to return? How hard do you find it when your kids are away?
