Silver Lake Camp - Day Two

It rained, it drizzled, it spitted, it blew. It SUCKED! Not only was I exhausted and deprived of good coffee, I was cold and wet. Oh I had a good coat and my hiking shoes and warm socks, but I was still miserable.

However I had the sense to avoid the child-raised-by-wolves at breakfast and skip the messy disgusting scene altogether. As I attempted to drag 10 grade 4 and 5 children down with me into misery, they persisted in having fun in the mud and rain, and that didn't stop them from canoeing or finding their way with a compass. Except of course for my daughter. "I'm cold, I'm tired." Really? Why on earth would you be tired?????????? "I don't want to do this." My response...suck it up princess. (You may have picked up on my lack of empathy here.)

By lunchtime there was a glimmer of sunshine and we parents huddled around it for warmth. It was our groups' turn to clean up after lunch and all the kids helped...except for....you guessed it....my daughter. I found her back in the cabin lying down on her bunk. By this point I have had all I can take from little Miss Sunshine.

So I proceed to tell her that from now on she will not be participating in her groups activities, she will be following me around to her brother's group so I can watch him having fun. And man was he having fun! By this time the gray skies were definitely lifting and I had hopes for a better afternoon. My daughter and I headed off the watch her brother in archery, but first she had to visit the bathroom "I'll catch up to you she says." Twenty minutes later I check the washrooms and she's leaning up against the wall half asleep.

I know you're all thinking that a kind and gentle mother would carefully carry her beloved daughter down to her cabin and let her sleep in her bunk. Then when the little princess has awoken from her slumber, we would have a lovely chat over a cup of tea and all would be well with the world.

NOT ME! Oh she went back to her bunk alright. Kicking and screaming while I made her pack up her stuff, and while I packed up mine. I found a spot where I could get a cell phone signal and called my husband to come pick us up. The party's over honey.

So while she fumed and cursed me in the parking lot, I went in search of my son and gave him the news that we were leaving. He was quite upset because he hadn't seen much of me the whole camp. So I reassured him that after he got home, we would leave her with Dad and he could choose an activity for just the two of us. That seemed to calm him down, and he went running off to the zip line. Then I found the teacher in charge and explained the situation. I asked her to take my place in the cabin so the other mom could actually get a good night's sleep and she would gladly do that for me. (I couldn't leave the other mom alone with those kids....).

While I waited in the parking lot for my husband to take me away from the misery, my daughter decided to apologize for not doing what she was supposed to. My response was...It's nice of you to apologize but it doesn't change anything. We're going home and tomorrow while your friends are still at camp, you can help me clean the house."

Finally my husband arrived and we headed for home. Her sleeping and me wishing he would drive faster. When we arrive home I headed for the shower and she headed for bed. Heaven. For now....