Summer Camp

The kids started summer camp yesterday at the JCC. Ben is in the combined 2/3 group (rising second and third graders) at Camp Mindy and Rebecca is in the 3 year old group at Camp Katan (preschool camp). Camp goes from 9am - 4pm, so our summer schedule is adjusted accordingly... the kids get to sleep in a bit later than they do during the school year (and so do I which is good). Slightly more of a pain is that I have to pick them both up by 4, then return to my desk to finish up my day's work. I don't think it's going to be too difficult though because camp is packed with activities including swimming lessons and sports for both kids, and yesterday at least they were quite content to sit and play Wii when they got home and didn't bother me a bit while I finished up my work.

It's hard for me to believe that this is Ben's 5th summer of camp at the J!! He started camp the week after we moved to Charlotte, in the 3 year old group that Rebecca's now in. Yesterday I walked both kids in to meet their counselors, but today I laid down the law and said we were doing car pool drop-off. As expected, Rebecca handled this news very serenely, and Ben was the one who griped and grumbled. Rebecca hopped out of the car and waved goodbye nonchalantly, and then I drove around to the other side of the campus to Ben's car pool line, having to listen to him complain and stress the whole way about how he didn't want to be walked to his group by a counselor he didn't know. I assured him that since he was one of the older kids and already knew where he was going, that he could walk by himself. He still did not quit grumbling, and exited the car with a very sour expression. Despite the fact that he did know the counselor who came to greet him he waved off the offer of assistance and hesitantly wandered off alone to join his group.

I am hoping that he's realized that being dropped off at the curb at a place he's been to about a thousand times is really not that stressful, and that he'll be fine with doing carpool from now on, as it's much easier for me than having to park and walk him!