Back from Camping...

It's hard to see how bright, funny, kind and thoughtful your kids are, and yet at the same time so disadvantaged. 

The term "Micro Managing" has been a coin phrase in our family these past few weeks.  Due to Dale's impulsive nature to manage everything thing.  He isn't controlling in how he does it, he just offers adviced, I give him the look which says, "I know how to do it." and he raises his hands, and backs off laughing. 

Camping this year has been an experience.  The kids are older now, I have two teenagers, but they ALL  need to be mirco managed to some degree.  Common sense and following simple instructions is not easy for them.  Alex believes he understands, wants to PROVE himself.  So when it came time for him to take the backseat out of the van, which I repeatedly told him it was the backseat I wanted out.  Alex refused to listen to his younger brother and took the middle seats out of the van instead. 

I realize that it's really is no big deal, but I could tell he felt his LD weighing him down.  It is so frustrating that language confuses him.  So after letting him vent off his frustration together we put the seats back in the van and took out the backseat together.  Then I put him in charge of packing up the van while I did things inside.  Alex wanted the coolers in the van right away, which I hadn't finished packing, and after repeating several times that they weren't packed I showed him all the stuff that needed to go into them before I could let him have them.  After that he gave up on the coolers, and put his focus into packing the tents, lawnchairs, beddings and other camp items, Dale had pulled out the night before.

Preston packed up his and Cyrus' things, I only asked for the basics, swimming shorts, PJ's, Hoodies, and extra socks.  Preston can be a rock when he wants too, and this was one time he shone.  He made sure Cyrus had two sets of Pj's, five pairs of underwear, two pairs of pants, shorts.  He did an incredible job.

However, when packing for a camping trip, there are a lot of things that need to be done, the house cleaned, dishes and cooking untensils, camping gear, food, matches, sleeping bags, pets looked after, I can't count how many times I was being "MOM!"ed and had to stop what I was doing to re tell, demostrate, problem solve and so on, from everything to our dog's food container missing the lid to showing Cyrus where the fishing tackle box was, (right where I said it was).  I realize that to some this may seem normal to some degree, but not when they aren't being lazy, or diffcult.  It is hard to see them struggle when they are really excited and are really trying hard to do what needs to be done.  We laugh a lot, and help each other out, without trying to step on toes. 

The end result was a fully packed van, albeit with some items left behind, (which I have only myself to blame), two broken fishing rods, and a somewhat tidied house.  But I have learned long since, that sometimes you have to pick and chose your successes, and for me leaving with enough time to get to the camp well before dark was my success!

By the time Dale arrived at the campsite, (he was spending a rare day golfing) we had two tents set up, complete with air mattresses and sleeping bags.  It was a good end to a hectic day.

We survived, we stayed (mostly) dry despite the storm that blew in off the lake, and spent the days, lazying in the sun, swimming at the beach, hiking through the woods, and as a special treat for Me, an award winning  breakfast buffet at a local restuarant.

My only regret was the hurried good byes that were offered at the Wood Family Picnic.  The storm blew in hard and fast and everyone scattered to their vechiles.