Category: Parenting

  • The Summer Day Camp Saga Concludes

    Today was the big day. It was the first day of Summer Day Camp for our daughter. After everything we went through last week, I was pretty nervous that it might all get derailed. But it worked out; Forms were sent, approval given, protocol followed.

    Yesterday, the wife took the kid out to get a new bathing suit for camp, as her current one is getting a little small. We hit the drug store for sun screen and other camp goodies. The kid picked out her clothes for this morning, and we all help pack her backpack last night before bed. I even got a surprise joy from making the kid’s lunch last night.

    This morning, it all went like clockwork. We all got up on time, without a complaint. Ate breakfast, brushed teeth, and were out the door like we planned. It was a fun walk this morning, just me and the kid, talking about what might be in-store at the camp; Would there be a water slide? New friends? Art classes? Building a robot.

    As we got closer to the camp, other kids began to coalesce around the entrance gate. I could feel the excitement in my daughter build. As we stepped onto the grounds, she asked me, “Can I go make friends?” That was the point, I thought, but I just said, “Yes.” Off she went to introduce herself to two girls.

    I checked my kid in with the councilors, and soon a gaggle of eight 1st Graders were all talking to each other, waiting for the camp to begin. The councilor went over to the kids, took attendance, and started to lead the kids inside for the day camp. My little one looked over her shoulder at me, gave me a quick, little wave, and was off with the rest of the group.

    And it was done. She was back with kids again. After a year and a half, she was with kids her own age, doing and talking to kids about kid things, all away from their parents.

    It honestly felt like we would never get back to something like this.

  • Summer Day Camp Anxiety Continues!

    Okay, it’s feeling like two steps forward and one step back over here.

    I was informed yesterday that the kid was lacking two vaccines which she needs to be cleared for camp. I called our pediatrician’s office, and was able to get an appointment today for the kid to get the vaccines. That all went according to plan.

    We made it to the doctor’s office, got in right away, the nurse was awesome and gave the shot to the kid without any panic or tears. All good.

    Now, to verify that the kid has received the shots, I just need a vaccination form signed by the kid’s doc for verification… which will take three business days… And Monday’s a holiday. And the camp starts on Tuesday, 9am.

    Ung…

    I was given the, “we’ll do our best to rush it.” The is no reason for me not to trust the staff at the pediatrician’s office. They have been great with everything we have ever needed in the past six years. I need to trust them.

    And I have been in work situations before where the most honest answer I could give was, “I will do my best.” Most of the time, I still got yelled at by the client, so I don’t want to be the guy who browbeats his way into getting what he wants.

    Sure, worst case here is that she misses the first day of camp… But, I don’t want to disappoint my kid.

  • Summer Day Camp Anxiety

    This is the first Summer that we are dealing with sending the kid to day camp. All the pre-schools that our daughter has been in were all year, so there really wasn’t a “Summer” time, as the school never really came to an end. Now that we have finished Kindergarten and are going into First Grade, that means real Summer Camps.

    I will admit that I started this whole process way too late. But, I do have the kid in a day camp that starts next week, which is a relief. But we live in the time of COVID, which means a crap ton of hoops to jump through.

    There was quite a stack of forms that needed to be filled out. They were a stack of online forms, but it still did take me an afternoon to fill everything out. And I am still fill out stuff. And I just found out that she has two vaccines that she hasn’t received yet and needs for camp. Her yearly physical is in August, but now we have to go to the doctor’s office and get them. And then resubmit all the forms!

    And then there’s daily lunches that I need to send with her. I don’t know why this is giving me so much anxiety, but it is. The place is a nut free camp, not surprised or upset about that, but as I look back on what I have been feeding the kid over the past year, nuts shows up in about half of the stuff. And I also feel that I need to be really creative when it comes to her food.

    This is our daughter’s first chance to be around kids her age for about six hours a day, and I just want it to go right. I want her to have fun, and make friends, and learn stuff, and… be a kid with kids. She hasn’t had that in over a year and I desperately want her to have that again. Just to have Summer fun.

  • ODDS and ENDS – England v Germany, REI Again, and SCHOOLS OUT!

    “Odds and Ends” is my continuing series of random thoughts and follow ups…

    So, England made it out of the Group Stage at EURO 2020/21, and is in the Knockout Round. It’s not a clean path. First, they have to play Germany, who isn’t playing like Germany of old, but at the same time, Germany is never easy. If England gets past that, my guess is that they will have to play Sweden, which I think they should win. After that, all bets are off. In the semi-finals, England will play either the Dutch or the Czech Republic. Sadly, I don’t see Wales or Denmark beating the Dutch or the Czechs. Am I getting ahead of myself? Oh, yes! But, as of this moment, EURO 2020/21 is the only sport that seems interesting to me. (And I am fully aware that Cubs threw a combined no-hitter against the Dodgers last night.)

    Last week, I talked about going to REI to exchange my boots for a half size larger, and I was curious if their 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed return policy was real. It’s real. They exchanged my boots, no questions asked. And in my excitement, I bought a day pack. Now, the kid-o is saying that her boots are too small as well. So, Saturday, we are headed back to REI for another exchange. And I might pick up a small first-aid kit for the day pack. (Yes, I keep buying hiking stuff.)

    And today was the last day of school! I never want to do a remote school year again! I know I am not alone on that, but man, never again. SO starts the adventure of a real Summer Vacation, of Day Camps, road trips, museum runs, and sleeping in. All Hail Summer!

  • Summer Grocery Shopping

    The school year is coming to a close here in NYC. As of this moment we only have 6 days left of remote school, and we all can’t wait for it to be over. Come September, the kid will be back in class, like a normal elementary schooler, and there will be so much joy and excitement for that occasion, it already feels like it’s going to be Christmas Morning on that first day of school.

    In the meantime, it’s still the Dad/Daughter Experience for the Summer.

    Yesterday, as we got out of class early, I had to go shopping at Trader Joe’s. I didn’t see any reason why the kid couldn’t come with me, as the store is allowing people to shop together again. If nothing else, it would kill an hour of the day, which was better than her watching TV.

    Getting there did mean a subway ride, which is slowly beginning to feel normal to me again. For the kid, mass transit is still an adventure, and now it’s more exciting as she can read, and loves checking out all the ads on the train. Stepping down into one station, and then appearing out of another, is like magic as you get transported to a whole new world; Like the Upper West Side. Once in the store, she was a good kid, and is now big enough to push the cart for me, unassisted, so she was really helping out, and not fake praise helping out.

    As we walked to the subway station to go back to Harlem, the kid was excited about the ice cream we had bought, and I wondered how much of this she would remember later in life. I have foggy relocations of going grocery shopping with my mother during summer vacation when I was my kids age, and at the time it was just a thing we did, but now it has taken on more of a melancholy reminiscence. A very important mundane experience that I value more today.