Amid the chaos, we’re also off to camp. Today, is our second day here – third counting check in and the wine and cheese social that was planned for the first day…that was new.
Camp is a relatively new experience for us. This is our second year, and we’re in the mountains of Colorado with Adam’s Camp. While last year was centered on constant therapy which was difficult and likely not the ‘camp’ experience J thought he was getting. This year, he’s getting nothing but adventures…and socialization.
Adventures are in the form of canoeing, hiking (woodsy walks), rock wall climbing, swimming, horseback riding and more. Socialization in bonding with peers. Finding commonalities, ways to communicate, adjusting to new situations and new people.
Oddly enough, we think he’ll do very well. We think he’ll progress, have fun, have the ‘camp’ experience he was unable to have last year. We’ll have campfires with s’mores, swimming with family, hot tubs, watching a train that happens to be just close enough to stim to and just far enough away that it’s not disruptive.
No tents, but a borrowed condo. Bug spray, flashlights just in case, glow in the dark bracelets (just because) and lots of sunscreen. And I write this to tell you I never thought this would be an experience we would have for our family. I never thoughts he’d be able to, that a camp would be set up to focus on a child with special needs, while entertaining siblings and allowing parents to attend workshops of disappear for their own time to reconnect…all while providing scholarships to do just that.
Quite simply, with the roller coaster we’ve been on for the last 8 years, I never thought we would have made it this far. And if we have, everyone can…at least that’s my hope.
Have you? What experience have you had that you once thought impossible?
