I was not the only one worn out by camp--Mark returned quiet but happy from his own time away from home.
I was very excited to see him--he'd been away from home for two weeks before but this year, I really missed him. I was ready for the little guy to come home!
Despite his denials, I could tell Mark was equally excited to see me, as he waved briefly out the bus window. (Yes, it was a small wave, but he made eye contact, too! That is huge for my non-emotional child.)
The first words out of his mouth were, "Hi, Mom," and then "Can I go to camp for two weeks again next year?" Yes, the boy who'd been grousing about camp non-stop since I paid for it in March, wanted to get back on the bus and return to camp, right then and there.
Of course, I said yes. :-)
I was very excited to see him--he'd been away from home for two weeks before but this year, I really missed him. I was ready for the little guy to come home!
Despite his denials, I could tell Mark was equally excited to see me, as he waved briefly out the bus window. (Yes, it was a small wave, but he made eye contact, too! That is huge for my non-emotional child.)
The first words out of his mouth were, "Hi, Mom," and then "Can I go to camp for two weeks again next year?" Yes, the boy who'd been grousing about camp non-stop since I paid for it in March, wanted to get back on the bus and return to camp, right then and there.
Of course, I said yes. :-)
He shocked me again, asking if he could shower when he got home. My nose agreed right away, and my head screamed, "Hallelujah!"
Of course, I said yes.
I asked if he'd showered at all while he was gone--he'd said everyone had to shower on Thursdays, and he was gone for two Thursdays.
"No," he answered. "I didn't shower at all--I just washed from the waist up in the sink."
And all I could think about was how gross boys really are. And how, the next time Mark asks why I always say that, I will use this story as proof.
Even he could see that was bad, and amended it with, "Well, I mean, I wasn't totally dirty. I did go swimming a few times."
And hey, that's the same as bathing, right? I mean, you wear a bathing suit in the pool.
The cool thing about this year was that the camp has a Facebook page, and they posted camp photos. In previous years, I'd ask Mark what his favorite activities were, and he'd just shrug. And that was pretty much all I had to go on.
But this year, I could reference the pictures and ask him what they'd done. He told me all about the Halloween party where they carved up watermelons.
He talked about his favorite activities, shooting BB guns and doing archery, he described the vampire comic strip his cabin all acted out in photos. I heard more about camp this year than I ever have before!
I did notice one curious picture, however--a photo of three baby ducks.
"What's the deal with the ducks?" I asked him. He just shrugged.
"Yeah, they have ducks," he said.
"What for?" I asked. "As pets?"
"Maybe to eat," he said. He saw the horrified look on my face, and pretended to chew.
"You know, like duck fries," he said, referring to a local restaurant's specialty dish.
"You're a sick puppy!" I told him, hugging him tight. "I've missed you!"
I asked about the dance, and he told me he was too busy playing pool to dance. I asked about camping out, and he admitted it was fun, albeit cold and a little scary because of the coyotes howling.
I asked if he saw any wildlife, and he said there were squirrels all around. He even hand-fed a chipmunk.
He totally dug his cabin mates, including one kid who's gone in years past and bugged him. I was proud of him, and his budding maturity.
"Yeah, they have ducks," he said.
"What for?" I asked. "As pets?"
"Maybe to eat," he said. He saw the horrified look on my face, and pretended to chew.
"You know, like duck fries," he said, referring to a local restaurant's specialty dish.
"You're a sick puppy!" I told him, hugging him tight. "I've missed you!"
I asked about the dance, and he told me he was too busy playing pool to dance. I asked about camping out, and he admitted it was fun, albeit cold and a little scary because of the coyotes howling.
I asked if he saw any wildlife, and he said there were squirrels all around. He even hand-fed a chipmunk.
He totally dug his cabin mates, including one kid who's gone in years past and bugged him. I was proud of him, and his budding maturity.
Mark showed me his eye glasses, and how he'd broken the side of them. I was sooooooo glad he'd left his brand-new glasses at home.
"How'd they break?" I asked.
"Under a mattress," he explained. "You know, we were wrestling, and they got shoved under the mattress. Then everybody jumped on the mattress."
And I just smiled, knowing that was exactly what camp was supposed to be like.
Mark even got a new neckerchief. It said, "Ragger" on it, and Mark described the Ragger's creed. He couldn't exactly remember all of the words (any of the words!), but he remembered the main idea, which was to take care of your health. He's worn the neckerchief faithfully every day since he's returned from camp.
So all in all, Mark had a fabulous time. He keeps talking about camp, and sharing stories about his adventures. He's talked more about it than previous years, and I'm just so grateful. Grateful I can afford to send him, grateful for the amazing staff of counselors and medical staff to watch over him, grateful he gets to prove his independence and just be a kid away at camp. And, most of all, grateful he has a safe place at camp, the one camp where he's not the only kid with diabetes.
And so he can't wait for next year. He's even more excited because he turns 13 this year, and will move up to the teen camp (which totally freaks me out!!!).
As for me...I just got him home. I can't even think of him being gone another two weeks yet.
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