Here, my little Cubs exemplify the Scout values of cooperation and friendship.
It was one heck of a week, as a follow-up to my Epic Fail as a Scout Chaperone Trainee post:
- 99-degree heat
- 5,000% humidity
- 3 nights of 6-hour stretches with 5 stations each night
- 1 CRAZY-loud mess hall where we dine
- 50 little boys
- Trading post chock full ‘o candy just waiting for aforementioned boys
We started out in great shape–a bit rainy but the sun came up and we were ready for action!
Isn't this t-shirt HAWT?
We received our itineraries and folders chock full ‘o papers as we headed off to conservation class (note the sarcasm here.)
My seven-year-old was especially gloomy because he HATED the skit part–holding court is not his forte–and he was NOT GOING TO GET UP IN FRONT OF PEOPLE AND SING. I didn’t like my funky, too-big yellow t-shirt either, but I wasn’t crying about it.
Luckily, there was archery to look forward to. I mean, fifty excitable little boys with bows and arrows, what could possibly go wrong?
Kid, if I was you I would NOT hold that target in front of my body.
Even I got to get in on the action, and learned to ask, “Range Master, may I please enter the range?” to which the Range Master surely wanted to ask me why in the world I want to do that, since only two of my five arrows hit the giant square target at all.
My little guy was thrilled when he got a bullseye, and luckily it wasn’t near anyone’s actual eye. We made some seriously cool arts and crafts, played soccer, and were stung by mosquitoes from hell.
My Webelo camper, sporting his newly-crafted bead-worm on his fancy adventure hat.
The second day, when rushing from the house on a business call adn shuffling the boys into the car, I
Look ma, I did it! And no one was injured.
violated the highly-enforced rule of ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NO CROCS. Glancing into the backseat I see them on my son’s feet and utter an OH NO!
Maybe no one will notice, I think. But as we’re standing in line waiting for our ordersinstructions, my chaperone partner tells me
This week I learned that "gangsta" is a good thing from my ten-year old.
there’s a Target around the corner and that I’d better get there quickly, and that the rule is not only for the kids but for US, too (I had on flip-flops.) Seeing a Marshall’s across the street from Target and run into to buy these fresh kicks, on clearance for twenty bucks for my oldest, praying his finicky-self doesn’t complain.
“Mom, these make me look gangsta. They really are fly.”
I guess this is a good thing?
When the paper map is used in travel class, the children spy it with amazement.
Family travel class was a really neat one, where we talked about planning a trip and everything that’s
Being a chaperone is kind of wild, too!
needed to be safe and have fun. When the counselor pulls out the map one of the kids says, “Wow, my dad just asks Siri for directions.” So there’s that.
We scurried on throughout the week and the camp, my amazement at two items
There really is a chart that helps each camper rate their pee-pee.
stood above all:1) these kids’ energy levels despite running around in 99-degree heat is admirable, and 2) I had no idea my body was capable of producing that much sweat.
We reiterated the camp mantra of “water, water, water!” at every opportunity and I’m happy to announced that our bodies are expunged of all impurities and demons based on our intake and sweat production!
If we ever had any doubt, we could refer to the handy-dandy pee-pee charts found in each potty stall, alerting us to our overall hydration as it relates to the color of our output.
Truth be told, we bailed out Thursday night to see my all-time favorite band, Toad the Wet Sprocket as a family, and Friday night Mr. Gangsta-Shoes had a stomachache and fever, so our entire experience was relegated to eighteen hours. Based on this, I won’t be earning my eagle chaperone-badge anytime soon.
