Camp Stress

So camp. I thought this week was going to be AWESOME. The kids would be SO excited for camp that everything would be super easy, make some great memories, and we'd be sad that camp was over by Friday.

Well. While camp IS great and the kids are making wonderful memories, I think I'm getting a little preview into the stress of the morning that comes when kids start school. Our current routine is very easy and free right now - the kids wake up when they wake up, eat what they want (or nothing if they don't), and we go to school when we go to school. And that is what we did the first day. Both kids woke up all excited for camp, got dressed right away, and eat a small breakfast. When I picked up Maggie at camp, she was face down crying in the barn because she wanted a wand (aka a crop) and they wouldn't let her have it (obviously). So I got her calmed down, and asked if she ate her snack? Turns out they didn't stop for snack.

Oh.

And of course the 15 year old girls running Pony Camp didn't think about snack for the youngest kid there. But that was her only problem, she has been wonderful and excited all week.

Cam though - Cam is in camp every day from 9 - 4. No stopping, no naps, and lot of activity. He is 100% having a blast, but when he gets home, he is totally overtired, and eats the equivalent of 2 dinners. And as I'm a summer camp novice, I didn't think before signing both kids up for different camps during the same week, with the same drop off times would be an issue. And it really wasn't. I dropped Maggie off on my way to work, and Aaron dropped off Cam. And here is the trouble. Aaron is a novice drop off guy. Yesterday, when he went to drop off Cam, Cam starting getting upset and asking him to stay. This happens maybe once a month at daycare - and what I do is get down at Cam's level, give him a big hug and a kiss, tell him I'll be back at the end of the day, love him lots and to have fun. I then turn and walk away (and the daycare people usually divert his attention). Well, apparently Aaron couldn't take Cam getting upset as he left, so he try to talk him down, and Cam just would cry harder and harder as he tried to leave. It was a disaster. Aaron called me after 45 minutes of crying from Cam asking me wht he should do?

I eventually had to go to Cam's camp, tell Aaron to go, walk Cam to the camp director (who runs a preschool during the school year) and just leave. What a nightmare! And of course, Cam had a blast all day. But poor Aaron - he was a wreck all day worrying about Cam and how sad he was.

All in all - great week. Maggie is having SO much fun at Pony Camp (I hope to get a video of her Horse Show tomorrow) and Cam is off on a field trip today! Next week though, I can go back to letting the kids wake up whenever, not stressing about them eating enough breakfast to not be cranky, and have them back in the care of the daycare we love so much. I'm looking forward 100% to a normal week of daycare next week!