The Joys of Camp

There’s something about sun kissed cheeks, chlorine filled hair and the overwhelming sent of sunscreen that makes you really feel like summer is here. It’s those scents that put me back to those days filled with too much sun, bug juice and raisin-like fingers…a.k.a. camp.

Today was the first day of camp for my two eldest kids. As much as I worried about the pool, struggled with the challenges of balancing drop off and gym, and the annoyance of packing lunches, I forgot how glorious camp really can be. Once bags were packed, kids were lotioned up and we punctually arrived at camp, I became so excited for them.

I didn’t exactly know how Gabby would handle car drop off and knowing no one at her first day of camp. Never did I expect that I would be eating her dust as she ran off with the first person in a camp shirt…

Drew, who has spent pretty much a lifetime of being dropped off with strangers, hung back in an uneasy sort of way. With a little brief scoot and a nice catch and receive from the counselor, he was on his way!

It’s so easy to get caught up in the scheduling of sending kids to camp. It’s so easy to marinate in the opportunity to have a few hours with only one little being. It’s even easier to feel sad and worried about them in a strange, new place. What I didn’t expect was to be so excited for them. I felt like it was my first day of camp and I couldn’t wait to pick them up so I could hear all about it.

Then I woke up and realized that they don’t tell me anything, are crabby little messes from their long days and my laundry load just doubled. Oh the joys of camp.