I don’t like to make a habit out of writing about my children, but I do when I feel that it is relevant. This relates to the emotions that we feel when it comes to our children. Today, I had the opportunity to visit my daughters, Kate and Kim, at Tripp Lake Camp during TLC’s Brother-Sister Day. Since I don’t have the opportunity to see my children during a normal visiting day, this is my opportunity to spend some quality time with my girls during the summer.
Although you might have expected that I would have rushed over to Tripp Lake Camp earlier in the week when my daughter, Kate, broke her wrist; I, in fact, stayed at Takajo and allowed the camp to take care of my child. Visiting my daughters today was very difficult because I wasn’t going over as a camp director. I was visiting with them as a dad.
It turns out that as Brother-Sister Day ended, Kate’s entire age group was going on a two-day, two-night camping trip. Because her broken wrist is still in a sling and has yet to be put in a cast, it was obvious that Kate was unable to participate with her age group on this trip. Emotionally, I wanted to put my daughter in my car and drive her back to Takajo, where she can rest comfortably in my home while her friends experienced an amazing trip.
I am sure many of you reading this would see this as the logical move and support that decision. I must admit that for a fleeting moment, it sure felt good to me. But truth be told, Kate’s break is somewhat standard and, other than cast, it doesn’t require any unusual medical care.
As I contemplated that decision, I realized that I would be allowing my emotions in the moment to drive my decision. When Kate and I talked about what she would do during the two days her friends were out of camp, I could tell in her eyes that she trusted my instincts and was looking to me for guidance. While I am sure she would have loved for me to put her in the car and take her back to Takajo, she knew in her heart that her summer home was Tripp Lake Camp.
There are many things that Kate will be doing in camp over the next forty-eight hours. She loves theatre and will be working on her lines for an upcoming play. The girls who are one year older are going on a day trip on Tuesday that is less rigorous and more appropriate for the kind of activities in which Kate can participate.
I share this with you because visiting day is less than two weeks away, and I know some of you will be faced with an emotional choice just like I was today. Visiting day, whether it was my visiting day today or yours in two weeks, is not the time to make an emotional decision. As a parent, I needed to trust the camp, the administration, the staff, and most importantly my daughter because I think the greatest experience a child could gain is overcoming adversity.
