[Nevertheless] There's This Place

Having a transgender child and a gender non-binary child comes with some worry. Having children on the autism spectrum comes with some worry. Having chronically ill children comes with some worry. Having children in someone else's care for an extended period of time comes with some worry.

Will they be welcome? Will they be accepted? Will they feel comfortable? Will they feel safe? Will there be facilities that accommodate their needs? Will people be understanding of their differences? Will people respect who they are?

There are many times my children are out in the world and I worry, nevertheless, there is one place that I haven't had to worry - our home away from home, Camp Calumet in Freedom, New Hampshire. The staff have been nothing but welcoming to all of my children. There are gender neutral bathrooms - with showers! - to use if needed. When Zephyr introduced herself as herself after years of attending camp as Zachary, not one eyelash was batted. Whenever I mentioned Haley and their girlfriend, there wasn't one questioning look. Whenever Coren (and in the past, Alex) has encountered sensory issues, he's been treated only with respect, understanding, and encouragement. When Haley or Alia has experienced exhaustion, pain, or subluxations, they have been treated with empathy and care. 

Standing in line waiting to see two of my children perform in the Camp Calumet Drama Camp performance this Summer, I noticed parents scanning the crowd of campers waiting to go into Luther Hall for the performance for a glimpse of their children. There was excited chatter about getting a peek into their children's camp experiences via photos posted on social media by the camp's amazing social media director. And picking one of my children up the next day, I heard parents talking about how worried they'd been about their children all week. That's when I realized - I didn't spend the week searching for photos of my children (although I was delighted when I came across them) or worrying about my children at all. I missed them, but I didn't worry about them. I had confidence that they were having a great time, and that if they encountered a major issue, I'd be notified. 

Part of it was that I have confidence in my children to do what they need to do to meet their needs, but mostly, I know how well the Calumet staff is trained in compassion, acceptance, and living out Jesus' command to love one another...and how well they do so.

Parenting comes with its share of worries, nevertheless, there's this place.