Twilight Camp - Days Four and Five

Funny, now that it's over, I'm having trouble thinking back two days. I've slept since then...

Sadly, I do remember the nasty lady who brought her kid late, stopped by headquarters to find out where to find his group so she could check him in. I told her where they were, pointed out and said they were just beyond various points, etc. So, as I'm telling her this, she turns and walks away. Her back is to me and she's walking away while I'm trying to tell her which direction to head.

Sure enough, a while later she comes back huffing and puffing with a nice sheen of sweat on her face, and tells the other people standing around that I told her to go to the wrong place, that was a different group. I said; "You went to the playground I pointed to with the giant yellow tarp covering it?" She waived her hand as if to dismiss me and rolled her eyes as she turned back to whoever else she was talking to. Like I was some stinkin' minimum wage fast food employee!Then the other people directed her to the playground with the giant yellow tarp covering it.

It was all I could do to keep myself from jumping across the table and smacking her, or at the very least making some snide, sarcastic remark that I am so good at. I kept my mouth shut and thought: Lady, you paid $60.00 for a full week of camp. This is cheap. We are volunteers. Get a grip.

That was the only bad part. Other than I think we may have broken one of the rented Slush machines. It made matters worse when the owner was there looking at it and a group of 4-year-old's rushed to it and started manhandling it.

There was one other discipline problem that I had to deal with because the dang Camp Director wasn't around again. This poor kid burst into tears when I started talking to him. I actually felt sorry for him. He was in trouble for kneeing another den member in the groin. But dang it, it was because of a "friend love triangle". Poor kid. I talked to him for a bit, then had him promise me he could be good and obedient for 45 more minutes, then camp would be over for a whole year. He went back to his group and, low and behold, all that child psychology junk actually did the trick. The den leader said that the boy was the best he'd been all week. He even went back and apologized to the groin kid and the den leader for his behavior. Ta-da!

I really enjoy doing the admin part of it because, although it is months of work, many late nights, and dealing with some obnoxious parents, it gives me the opportunity to meet, and work with some really great people in the community that I probably wouldn't get the chance to otherwise. I also like the fact that I can roam around from time to time and visit the various sessions where each of my kids are so that I can see all of them doing their thing.

All in all, it was a huge success. The best, and oddly saddest, part of it all is that this is my last year. Logan will have moved on to Boy Scouts and be a Scout Camp next summer with Geoff and Eric. Christian will go in six years. So, I guess it's not my last year ever, I'm just going on hiatus. Now what am I going to do from March through June every year? Maybe Christian can get some curtains in his room that aren't pink with flowers on them...

Here's some pictures:

One day in Science session, they made rockets. Yesterday, a "licenced member of the local chapter of the Rocket Club" (who knew there was one!) came to help them launch their rockets. Here is Logan preparing for launch.

Pretty close to the bulls-eye. Archery has been Logan's favorite for all four years at Cub Twilight Camp. He said he wants to come back next year just for the archery. I told him I'd rather just find somewhere I can pay for him to do archery.

Maren playing badminton (she's in the pink bandanna that they made)

Maren's group also did "Dr. Seuss Who-Hair" one day.

Samy coloring the world in her group. (Camp theme this year was Space -- totally rocked that we are in NASA land and the camp director works there!)