Mothering
June 23, 2005
Well, here we go for the Wipflers’ 41st summer at Kingswood. You would think that a guy like me (72 years at a camp) would know everything. Not so fast. It would not have occurred to me, ever, to help a little boy pour milk into his Fruit Loops cereal bowl. Nikolina and Sasha were doing that and more for the Lakeview campers who were eating breakfast together just now.
This mothering will diminish slightly as the session wears on, as the goal is to help boys become more independent and self-sufficient persons. The female staff, to be certain, does best at this while the guys are being very attentive to such behavior. Good camp. I noticed that breakfast, the eating part, lasted just 37 minutes, a number I adopted many years ago to signify an efficiently run meal. But on the first day? Wow!
It is still a tad cool here along the shores of Mother Tarleton, another female overseer who delivered a fresh breeze yesterday evening and this morning. Mike Wiff, the program guy, reminded boys to expect rising temperatures and to be prepared with sun block and water bottles. I am confident that boys will take note.
We were delighted to see so many old friends yesterday at drop off as well as greeting many of you who were gracing the grounds for the first time. The staff spent the better part of two weeks getting the grounds looking like a country club and I, for one, was so proud of the gorgeous setting we have here. We will be remind the boys over and over how fortunate they are to be here (instead of where you are!)
More than one parent asked if they could join up and I barked, “No way. You would be complaining about everything.” “I want my phone,” one mother remarked in naming an absolutely forbidden device!
After the parents had departed, we spent the remainder of the day getting boys oriented to the procedures here at camp. Not particularly fun, these meetings are essential. Happily, I can inform you that already they are mostly over and done with. The first morning clinics, our name for the instructional time of the day, start very soon. The very best way for me to get to know all the campers is to observe them in action. As soon as I can get this report posted, I will be heading out to watch whatever I stumble into.
If you really enjoy being a fly on the wall, be sure to learn how to use your Camp In Touch accounts to summon both the photo postings – Sara put up well over 100 pix yesterday and me news reports, which will happen every day of the session. I aim for a 10 AM deadline, but please forgive me when I am late. Occasionally we have Internet disruptions and I am helpless to do anything about that until it gets fixed. Patience.