nixtress's Diaryland Diary

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trev's camp experience

I was incredibly excited to pick up my Trev from camp on Saturday. The drive down there only is only about half an hour but it seemed to take forever. The roads wound around and around and the entire way, I worried that he hadn't had a good time, that something had happened to mar his enjoyment of his time there...you name it, I worried about it.
I found a parking space, set our covered dishes at the food tables and then turned to try to find the familiar face of my dimpled boy amidst the swarms of people roaming everywhere.
It didn't take as long as I thought it might. And when he saw his brother and I, his face lit up like nothing I've ever seen and he literally ran for us.
There was a point, as a smallish toddler, that his hugs were so tight I thought I'd lose circulation; it felt like he was holding on for dear life. The hug on Saturday was very similar. It was humorous to watch the play between brothers as Ry tried to dodge Trev's hug. They scrapped like the pups they are. He introduced us to his counselors and cabin-mates, telling me tidbits about each.
We had a nice dinner there, managed to roundup all of Trev's belongings with no trouble. The entire time, he was chattering away about his adventures at camp---they camped in the woods, spent time in kayaks, walked the trails and played every sport under the sun. He came away from his experiences there with more confidence, with a greater grasp of his own indpendence, with the knowledge that he could be okay away from us. I think he also came away feeling better about himself.
I don't know if I have the words to explain my pride, my joy, my relief...I'm incredibly happy to see my boy come away with such a positive experience. I swear he grew 3 inches in the week he was gone. He's gotten incredibly tan, his hair has bleached to nearly white, he's holding his head higher.
It's awesome and awe-inspiring.
I've got a letter of thanks in the works for the camp owners and staff. The sort of gift they gave Trevor and through him, me, is one that can't be described, but I'm sure going to try. It means more than I can every say.
I spent the two days following his return home washing all of the filthy, wet, musty clothing and belongings he brought home. And today I got the pictures from his disposable camera developed. Funny boy took both good shots and odd ones. Not bad, though, for a ten year old.
I'm glad he's home, glad it went well, glad there are places like this camp for kids like my Trev. There are very special people in the world and I'm glad for our experiences with them.
Happy Monday.
N.

9:04 p.m. - 2006-07-10

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

previous - next