Monday, August 20, 2007

We don't need more time together

This one is really getting to me. I try to tell people that the kid HATED daycamp, but LOVED resident camp and they all assume they know why. Which wouldn't bother me quite so much if it weren't for that freaking smug look they get on their faces while they nod knowingly. No you are WRONG.

At daycamp I was there volunteering, but I was not in the kid's unit and didn't see much of her. At resident camp we went 4 days/3 nights together in "mom and me" camp. I saw a lot of her. These know-it-all public school moms all assume that the kid liked resident camp because I was with her. That has NOTHING to do with it. In fact she would have liked resident camp better if there had been more activities where we were apart and day camp even less if I'd been her unit leader.

We see each other all the time. ALL THE TIME people. Constantly we are together. She is so ready for more time away from me. I try to arrange play dates at other people's houses as much as possible, but there is a limit as to how much inviting her over to someone else's house I can do politely. (I mean, would it really kill another mom to initiate things once in a while?) I sign her up for classes on her own and she LOVES them. She isn't clingy to me at all.

She hated daycamp because it was run by a bunch of meanie moms who were pushy and over the top. There was no downtime and it was exhausting. It was hot, it was rushed, there was bad weather, and she hated fishing and having to act in a skit. The high school girl "helpers" spent their time driving the golf cart and gossiping, never interacting with the girls.

She loved resident camp because it was run by a bunch of fun college girls who were the coolest things since flip flops. The pace was slow. There was plenty of time to finish activities. We slept in tents and ate in the dining hall. The high school girls who were there showed her several crafts and took her on a hike. They asked her questions and listened to her answers. She loved canoeing and archery. It was much more her pace.

So wipe that smug smile off your faces or I will do it for you. She is not a clingy mama's girl. She is just stuck with me because her father and I choose to homeschool.

And she thought your daycamp sucked.

1 comment:

Quill said...

You do know that I'm cackling with glee right now? :o)