So there I was, not knowing if Max would do OK at sleepaway camp last week, even though it's one completely geared toward kids with special needs. He's never been away from us; would he get homesick? He always gets up in the middle of the night and comes to our bed; would he freak out if he woke up? Would he get intimidated by all the kids at the activities, given his anti-crowd tendencies? Would they feed him OK? Give him plenty of spaghetti? Go along with his purple requests?
We dropped him off Sunday. Monday, the camp director called to tell us that Max had been dancing the night away at a party. Oh, and then? They sent photos. Max is a perpetual happy camper but I don't think I've ever seen him looking so ecstatic. The only time he got upset was when there were some fireworks on July 4th, although he calmed down once he went inside.
The camp hosts about 60 kids per week, close to 500 every summer. Some campers get their own counselor, some share one, depending on their needs. Kirsten rocked. She's from Scotland and super-nice. She said Max especially loved swimming. I know he enjoyed arts and crafts, because he came home with a bunch of (what else?) purple pictures.
From what I heard, Max slept through the night (of course, he reverted right back to his bed-crashing ways at home).
This is how he looked when we picked him up. His favorite mode of transportation, some of you may recall.
Max decided to give us a tour of the camp before we went home. There was a sing-a-long with counselors and campers, and he busted some moves.
One last time on the slide. And another. And another.
Oh, and one more time with Becca, a cool counselor from England who already knew Max because she happens to read this blog. (Cue "It's a small world after all!")
Yes, I had qualms about sending Max to camp. I appreciated all the encouragement I got here. I was ready to drive to camp and take him home if he couldn't handle it, only it turned out I was the only one who got unnerved. This week was great for Max, both because he had fun and because he flexed his independence. Meanwhile, Dave and I had extra time for Sabrina and some for ourselves, too.
I would do it again next summer and I know for sure Max would, too. I'm also looking into possibilities for integrated day camps.
Meanwhile, anyone got a golf cart we could maybe borrow?
