Spending 5 days in the mountains with kids, ages 1 to 12. Wild stuff.
By the end of the camp parents looked like they were pulled through the ringer – patience worn thin, bags under our eyes, sore muscles we didn’t know we had. We hiked tens of thousands of steps every day, carrying various weights: our kids, snacks, pounds of apples, gallons of water.
The theme of the camp was “The Chronicles of Narnia”. But kids couldn’t sit still through the movie, and they had a hard time cooperating or sitting still through the lessons. The little kids have short attention spans, the older ones suffer from showing off and defiance. On one hand it was good to have parents care for their own children, on the other though, the kids whined and acted up because the parents were present. Every time a kid went off on an adventure without their parents, they were so well behaved.
We learn as we go though. And as my sister said, it is crucial that we invest in our kids, that we play with them, that we See them and validate their hearts, away from the demands of daily life. It was a test of survival though. Conrad thinks that putting kids in a torture room can get anyone to confess – constant nonsensical talking, screaming, asking, climbing, jumping, dragging, telling useless information on and on and on. They all egg each other on. They copy any and all behavior. The hope is that they are exposed to good influence.
It was like observing wild animals in their natural habitat. We were on a constant course correcting, but the respite was when kids were spread out in groups of 3-5 and would explore, play pretend games, sports, climb, jump, roll… Parents can make a sport out of averting eyes, pretending they don’t see the borderline activities. As long as they were not endangering themselves, they were in the green area.
My lasting joy is that Luca and Jaclyn did wonderfully together. They had each other’s back, they played nicely, with familiarity and brotherly teasing. They gave each other space without questioning the other’s loyalty or love. Feeling so encouraged about their social skills, self awareness, forgiveness and patience. #cousins #proudmama #proudauntie
I worry sometimes for J. as all parents probably. I want her to build healthy friendships, to be a good friend and to choose wisely. To be reliable, kind, generous, and never have to feel like she has to be someone she isn’t. At the same time, I believe it’s important to let her quarrel and make up on her own, to manage and build slowly and solidly her friendships.
The bottom line for the kids is that they loved the camp. And that is all that matters. You could see their delight in their eyes, body language, laughter and endless expression of joy. They were so sad it was over.