BS camp
Graham and I returned from Thomas’ camp yesterday. We had so much fun. The drive to Camp Hahobus was long but Graham and I made it a fun adventure and only got lost once in the 172 mile drive! The last hour was the hardest as we were both really excited to see Thomas. We got to camp and checked in and bumped into another parent who led us to our camp site. Thomas and his patrol were sitting around a leader getting a lesson on first aid and when all the boys saw me they jumped up and came running towards me with open arms. It was so sweet! They all walked back to the car with me and helped me lug all of our camping gear back to the site. They were all talking a mile a minute- Thomas was just grinning ear to ear. Soon after setting up it was time for flag and dinner. Dinner was pretty gross so we headed back to camp and some of the boys (including Graham) made cup of noodles. Later on we made a fire and the scout master made a berry cobbler in a dutch oven. It was awesome. Thomas sat by me and every now and then would secretly reach over and touch my hand or nudge me. It was very sweet. The scout master put Thomas in charge of the camp fire for the night and he did such a good job. I was so proud of him. As I sat there and watched him I realized that he was growing up before my very eyes. I couldn’t believe how independent he seemed - and even more so how much he enjoyed the independence. Around 10pm we all got in our tents and promptly fell asleep. A few hours later I heard a noise outside my tent-which turned out to be a very cute and determined raccoon. I ended up convincing myself to get out of the tent and double check-but only because I had to pee really badly. To make a long story short (which i will write about in another blog) the little raccoon did not want to give up Graham’s bag of cookies and even tried to beg them from me. After my little bathroom trip I fell back to sleep right away. Next I know I hear Thomas’ voice outside my tent - informing me it was time for flag and breakfast. Graham and I got up, dressed and stumbled off to flag. After breakfast Graham and I went hiking (I didn’t want to follow Thomas around and crowd him or ‘cramp his style’). We met up with Thomas and his patrol in one of the merit badge stations and stayed with them. I ended up teaching an art class and helped the boys earn two badges. It was a lot of fun and the boys had a great time. After lunch (chili dogs) the boys had more stations and Graham and I hung out with them. Graham and I headed back to camp while Thomas and friends had free time. That evening all the boy scouts were scheduled to do their ‘outbound’ which meant they had to pack a sleeping bag, water and a tarp and hike 5 miles to the beach to camp out in the open. Graham and I decided to drive into town so that I could call Mick and get some decent dinner. Camp was pretty quiet that night- just the other parents and myself. We had a nice time until little Graham got sick and threw up all over. Poor kid- I took him to the showers and got him cleaned up and then we went to bed. He ended up dry heaving the rest of the night. I got up around 6am (only sleeping about an hour) and packed up our stuff so we could head home early. Graham napped most of the time home and felt better once he had some crackers and capri sun. When we got home we unpacked and bathed and then took a very long nap. OH so nice to be in my bed again! Mick came home and we all just hung out for the rest of the evening. Since returning home I’ve thought a lot about my little Thomas growing up- and how proud I was of him. He is such a good leader and many times ‘alpha male’ came to mind. He was such a responsible leader- in a very positive way. He wasn’t mean or bully like and he was very fair to the other boys. They really respect and like him. I’ve never seen this ‘leader’ side of Thomas as he’s always been kind of passive and a people pleaser. It was so incredible to see him in this role.
Today I picked him up and I was fully prepared to give him space and respect his new found independence. As soon as he saw me he ran up to me and threw his arms around me and hugged me. I completely melted. Later when we were at home and we were in his room talking about camp he asked me why i left early and then why didn’t i follow him around the whole time. I told him I wanted to give him his space and let him be independent. He gave me that ‘what’ expression and said he didn’t need that and he liked it when i followed him around. ha ha ha crazy kid!
Well I’m glad all my little chicken are back in their nest. My new Harry Potter book came in the mail today and I want to read it and find out who dies and what happens before it’s all over the news and internet!
T