Hi there, newbie would like your take...

flowie · 07-11-2007, 09:41 PM

Hello there moms! My name is Paula and I am glad I found you. I have 2 boys...Andrew,11 and Blaine 7.

I'm usually a happy, positive person but today I am a worried mom. My oldest, Andrew is away at camp for 4 weeks (this is week 2 1/2). My DH and I got a letter from him, again, today saying he has a mean cabin counselor. Now, I am good

with the owners of the camp and have been in constant contact. Until today I have been satisfied that he is okay. But the letter today was much more detailed and things are still bad.

I called the camp right away and they have promised me that a change will be made today (probably a new or additional counselor). But I can't stop worrying. I was a big camper/counselor person when I was growing up and one of the biggest rules in camp is to not let the parents and kids talk on the phone...and I respect that. It is a cause of MAJOR home

ness. But it is keeping me on edge!
It's hard to know when to let things get worked out and when to really put on the heat. But this is a great boys' camp and one that Andrew has loved going to for the last 4 summers. This is the first summer he has ever written home in a negative way!

Anyway, I feel so much better venting...aaaaahhhhh! Maybe that is all I needed to do.

Thanks for "listening" and maybe I'll have better news tomorrow.

DeeDee · 07-12-2007, 12:41 AM

Hi Paula

Its nice to meet you. As for your dilemma, not really sure what I would do. I think just go with my gut instincts. It could be home

ness but after going there for as long as your son has been, it can't be that. I think maybe I would wait and see how the next letter comes and if there is no change I guess I would go get him and bring him home.

I sure hope things improve for you both. Keep us posted as how things are going and I hope you get better news. Feel free to vent anytime.

Polly · 07-12-2007, 06:18 AM

Hi Paula, wel.come to Momzone, I'm

to hear you are going through such a rough time right now. I am sure this is very hard for you. I'm not sure how many letters you've had or what the exact content is but if your son has been happy in the past and now he is saying there is a problem then I think you should insist on talking with him. I agree that it usually causes home

ness but I think that he has been going there long enough that it probably isn't the case. And he needs to know that he can depend on you to believe him when he says there is something wrong. It may be a personality conflict between him and the councellor but there is definitely something going on and since you are good

with the owners then they should know and respect that you are just being a good parent. Just because it is a good camp doesn't mean that everyone they hire is "good". And the councellor may be putting on a good front around adults but behaving differently with the kids. I think you should trust your gut instinct and do what you need to do for your son. I hope things work out,

keep us posted on how you and he are doing. And feel free to vent any time. Everyone here is great and we all care about each other. I hope you will become one of our family. Good luck!

flowie · 07-12-2007, 08:47 PM

Update on camp issue! I feel much better after talking to the camp owner this

. They are placing a new (veteran) counselor with the other one. The owner talked with the cabin as a whole last night and they got a lot of issues hashed out. Then he talked personally to Andrew this

and he assured me that Andrew was happy and fully participating in camp activities.

I also emailed Andrew a letter so that he knew that I was taking things seriously and responding to his letter and the owner was going to personally give it to Andrew. It seems that a couple of the other boys have some strong chemistry and things were kind of spinning out of control with the new counselor.

I feel satisfied with how the situation was handled and feel confident that things will improve. BTW, I'm not the only mother to call in, so I am assured that it wasn't Andrew being whiney!

The pleasures of being a mother. We have so many hats to wear.

I will

much better tonight!

Sincerely,
Paula

DeeDee · 07-12-2007, 10:39 PM

Paula that is great news. Now you can rest assured that your son is okay. I feel better knowing that now too. They knew they had to do something if other parents were calling in too. Glad things got settled. Now you and Andrew can both enjoy the rest of the time he will be at camp.

Sleep well.

lulu · 07-14-2007, 10:35 AM

Wow! You are so brave! I am glad things worked out so well.

And, WELCOME TO THE ZONE!

Polly · 07-14-2007, 10:27 PM

Paula, I am so glad to hear things have worked out and that they are taking care of everything. From what you said, I knew your son was not being whiney, since he had not had problems before it was obvious something was going on and I'm so glad that other parents called too. It does

to have others seeing the same problem. I am sure your son will always remember this and know he can come to you when he has a problem, Great Job Mom!!

I hope you got some rest. I'm sure you didn't get much for many days.

Thank you for keeping us posted, I feel so much better now. I was really worried.

Hugs

MommysLooneyBin · 07-20-2007, 06:03 PM

Hi Paula, I'm so glad everything worked out for your son, and your peace of mind... I have a 10 year old who goes to Boy Scout advenure camp for one week each year. I can definetly empathize with you... Glad the situation was controlled, and all is back to normal.... PS... nice to meet ya!!!! I'm a little late on catching up with new posts...