He’s been in the same summer day camp for the past few years.. I decided to forgo our regular camp this year, and replace it with week by week camps.. signed him up for a week long zoo day camp..weeklong planetarium day camp.. and a museum camp, he chose the science themed week for that one.
But, now he’s saying that he’s nervous.
My parents take him and their other grandchildren on a 10 day vacay every year.. he’s totally fine on that.
But on our cruise, he literally cried when I took him to sign him up for the kids club.. he wasn’t even staying!! We just had to register on the first day. He never wanted to go, which I didn’t plan on him being there much anyway.. but there was a few events that I thought he would enjoy. “T, you love pirates, do you want to go to Pirate Night?” “No Mom. I don’t want to go without you.” Finally convinced him on that last afternoon to go to the club.. he went, participated in their “Splashtacular” show in the theater.. and LOVED it. I cried as I was videotaping and watching him wave and smile to the crowd.
We went to dinner afterwards, and then he asked to go to the after party from 10pm to 1am “to see his new friends”.
He’s so shy initially, but once he does something, he ends up loving it.
The overnight camp is rock climbing, and kayaking, ropes course, campfires..horseback riding..etc etc.. all things that he loves!!
I feel like a camp like that would really bring him out of his shell. It’s so traditional, no electronics allowed- including phones. Writing letters to your parents. Staying in a cabin with kids and a counselor.. it sounds wonderful! I feel like he would come out of it with a newfound confidence around strangers, that he wouldn’t be as shy afterwards. I don’t know..