The Happy Camper Returns

Last Monday at approximately 5:26 a.m. I gave my oldest child a hug and sent him away to Scout Camp. As sad or pathetic as it seems, he has never been away from me or his family longer than a day and giving him up to the wilds of Idaho caused more than just a few pangs of worry.

There’s no calling to check up or say good-night and recalling all those Scout Camp horror stories of bears mauling scouts in their sleep, falling off a cliff side, drowning in some sort of water activity and freak acts of nature involving lightening strikes or tornados can and will put even the bravest of mothers on edge until their safe return.

Shirtless

I’m not completely off my rocker here, I have proof of wild, beast-like, crazy boy behavior. For instance, the Brawny Man picture. Shirtless and everything near the edge of a plateau. Don’t they know bees can sting them? That the sun will burn them? That personal body odor after such a hike can wilt even the weediest of flowers? These are the reasons a mother should be concerned.

Then while I was tending to the cleanliness of the kitchen, the bells I have hanging on the front door jingled and my Devin was home.

He’s dirty, extremely dirty and smelly and covered in nature. He’s smiling too! Wait a minute, is that a band-aid on his middle finger? Okay, I can handle that.

He wouldn’t let me give him a hug so I took one anyway. “My baby boy is back!” ( He loves me calling him that! )

After the gear was unpacked and put away, showers and my laundry pile tripled, he regaled the more exciting parts of Scout Camp and none of it I found scary. Though I wonder if he left anything out on purpose.

Rootbeer Chugging

There was a Rootbeer chugging contest, silly songs about a golden ladle and tribal grunting calls which only encouraged Cro-Magnum like behavior. A Spirit Stick that I highly doubt encouraged the presence of the Holy Ghost, which I hear was accidentally burned in the campfire one night. Devin brought home a walking stick that he and his dad carved out and decorated together with ‘bear’ claws, a raccoon tail and strips of leather.

Swimming

Devin passed the swimming test and earned five merit badges; Environmental Science, Emergency Preparedness, Soil and Water Conservation, Fish and Wildlife, and Fingerprinting.

Leaders Trail

Lake View

THIS is where he spent a WEEK! Here? It’s beautiful! I want to be a Scout.

I want a week’s vacation in the mountains by a lake.

Devin Tree

I’m so glad that he had the opportunity to go and be manly but he’ll always be my baby boy whether he’s twelve or seventy-two! Thanks to all the leaders who spent their time wrangling the boys, especially mine. This is definitely one of the hardest parts about being mom, watching them grow and growing a bit myself.

4 comments:

  1. young family said...

    Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, you put in words everything I was feeling for a week.

    While Tayler was gone we had a huge lightning storm roll through and I could just picture him out in it. He was going to get his wilderness survival merit badge, he would have had to build a shelter and spend the night off somewhere by himself, so I had many pangs of worry :) Little did I know he didn't work on that merit badge, so some of my worry was in vain, but boy did I worry :) I am glad he made it home safe and sound and only one boo boo :)

    Devin, good job on all those merit badges. That is definitly the way to get them. Glad you had a good time.

  2. young family said...

    Ok I just reread what I said and it made it sound like Tayler came home with a boo boo, well he kind of did, a gigantic blister on his toe.
    What I meant was I am glad Devin made it home safe and sound with only one boo boo :)

  3. Anonymous said...

    As one of the leaders at scout camp, those boys sure did miss their mommies! Trust me, I heard it all the time! Our troop will probably never get the spirit stick..... but if there was a reverence stick given at flag ceremony our troop would have won it every single time! We have a great bunch of young men and their parents are to be commended for raising them right. Of course, boys will be boys and they certainly were at scout camp - even the big boys (cough, cough, leaders) had fun there as well.

    The boys gained a greater knowledge of scouting by earning merit badges but they definitely realized how much they missed their families and couldn't wait to get home. Those boys had camp cleaned and picked up quicker than we had expected....I guess they wanted to come home more than they let on!

    Great job Devin, you did well! (Dad should have received his own carving merit badge after whittling for nearly every scout in the troop too!)

  4. Tayler said...

    hey thats cool that Devin went to scout camp I bet it was a lot of fun. oh ya I got a blog.