Sleepaway Camp

Last week, Rebecca left for sleepaway camp for the first time. The whole experience was very interesting, but a lot harder than I imagined.

Buses picked up the local kids in the parking lot of a large department store about 40 minutes from our house. It was a tense scene as the older campers all ran to greet their old friends, and the younger, first-time, campers clung to their parents with much nervousness and anxiety. Fortunately, Rebecca had already been introduced a few weeks earlier to a girl in her bunk through a mutual friend. So at least one face was familiar to her.

There were many girls who were crying and had to be consoled by their parents. When it was time to board the bus, Rebecca gave us each a big hug, and got right on. No issues, no crying. I was very proud of her. She looked a little bewildered, but kept it together and did a great job. Once she got on, the bus sat there for about another 20 minutes as the counselors checked, and double-checked, their camper lists. This was difficult - we were just standing around waving at the kids, not knowing what else to do. Eventually the buses pulled out, and that was that.

About 4 hours later, we received email confirmation from the camp that Rebecca had arrived safely. At this point, I was happy to get any communication on what Rebecca was doing. The strangest part of this whole experience is that I have no idea what is going on in her life, and what she is doing at any given moment. So any insight into this is always welcome.

Since last weekend, we've seen Rebecca in many pictures posted on the camp website, and have received three letters (2 she wrote on her own accord, and one she wrote because the campers were bribed with candy to write home). We even had a quick phone conversation with her yesterday. The phone call was concerning because often kids will break down and cry when they hear their parents' voice. But it went well.

So far, all signs are good. The letters say she is having the "best time", "the food is great", and she got the "highest" score on her swim test. In all of the pictures, she is smiling, and often has her arms around her friends and bunkmates. And our phone call went very well. Rebecca sounded great, and totally together, and in a calm voice told us about her activities (she doesn't like swim team but likes everything else, she did the trapeze, rock-climbing wall, wood-working, etc.)

Jen and I were very relieved by all this, and we are both extremely proud of our little girl. We always wanted sleepaway camp to be a wonderful experience for her.