Letter to the Counselor [Adventure]

 

[Adventure 179]

Part of the filling-out forms for Camp Calumet process involves the campers completing a "Camper's Letter to the Staff," which happens to be on the flip side of the "Parent's Letter to the Staff."

In the Camper's Letter to the Staff, we find out just how odd my children are. One in particular stood out when Onyx was six and was finally old enough for Day Camp. His counselors may have feared him before they met him.

Here's a glimpse into the mind of my unique child:


I am coming to Camp Calumet because: I'm finally six and I've been looking forward to all the fun things at Day Camp for two years!


What I look forward to doing most is: going to the beach and Drama Camp.


What I don't want to do at Calumet is: drown in the lake.





I am afraid of: drowning. (Really, Mama, they need to realize that people can drown. Even in an inch of water. Although I'm fine in an inch of water. Or six inches. Or twenty inches. Just not. over. my. head. EVER. Otherwise I'm fine. But not in a canoe. Maybe a double kayak. The part about am I very quiet - I'm definitely a no on that.)

I'd like my counselors to know this about me: I like mismatched clothes; and Eris, who is also in Day Camp, is my sibling; and I like dead things.

I like dead things. He INSISTED I include his love of dead things. This is important to who I am, Mama. I am a person who likes dead things.

I tried, in my line and a half of "Things which we feel deserve special attention," to explain Onyx's fascination with the inner workings of animals' bodies and death, in hopes that they read my letter before hers. I was tempted to just write, "Be afraid. Be very afraid," but I resisted.

This year we've sent in his Letter to the Counselor twice and need to update it a third time, as he's changed his name once again. He never did make this Letter to the Counselor thing easy. And now instead of explaining how he likes dead things, we have to explain how he dislocates joints and how that's normal for him and to not freak out. It's always and adventure.