A camping trip that Victor is on this weekend.
He left last night for Camporee, his first, in the Mt. Diablo foothills. The camp the troop is going to requires the boys pack their gear in about a couple hundred yards, so Victor got to use a backpack for the first time. He is using my old backpack. Well, I packed his gear and by the time everything was loaded in, the pack was very heavy to the point that it actually made Victor fall backwards when he put it on. We were in a hurry, so we dumped everything in the car to get to the troop meeting sight. We pulled the pack out again, and Victor saw that his was by far the largest pack and really made for an adult (me) and started to cry. Another parent came to our rescue and took Victor's pack to repack better. He handed me most of Victor's clothes, his hiking boots and other misc. things to lighten the pack and put everything on more securely. the pack was still big and heavy, yet more manageable. Victor was not convinced, however and ran to the car, begging for me to take him home--he hated that pack and wasn't going! The Scoutmaster found out about all this drama, walked over to the car and simply told Victor that he understood the disappointment with the pack and that Victor was needed to help pack the other gear. Victor got out--Ah the magic of Authority! Anyway, I took that as my cue to leave ASAP--Victor would be fine! I still felt bad that he was upset. Then I looked at the clothes I had taken home and realized that he only had his uniform pants now, no other pairs of pants. The night was actually a little cold and foggy and I worried that he would be cold. I als pack a sleeping bag that was not the warmest. Anyway, I went into worry mode and didn't get much sleep last night--thinking that Victor was not enjoying himself and that it was all my fault. Pack too big, too few clothes, not warm enough sleeping bag, didn't want to go....
I was ready to make a call to the Scoutmaster's cell phone to check in today, when some insights came sweeping into my head. Maybe Victor is supposed to feel a little discomfort this weekend! I realized that at the meetings, Victor had been told to get his own gear together and pack his own pack. I did all this for him (as I always have done!). I remember him even saying "show me where you packed everything so I can find it". this is a big lesson for both of us. Victor is learning to be self responsible and I am learning to let him grow up!
