While the posting of pictures and blog entries is all fine and dandy for the camp to do, it turns me into an analytical mess while I try to detect every emotional nuance from the slight glimpses of my children I see in the photos.
Me: I NEED PICTURES!
Adam: i saw his head in one. and he’s standing on the beach in the swim photos (with no goggles)
Me: i saw that! what’s up with that? I packed him three pairs. where did you see his head? i missed his head. why isn’t he having friends?
Adam: actually I think he’s holding goggles in this one.
Me: oh, you’re right.
where’s his head?
why isn’t he talking with anyone?
is his head talking to anyone?
or at least smiling?
Adam: his head is in middle in this one: [link to photo]
he’s fine
Me: but his head isn’t talking!
The camp not only posts pictures, but it has a blog and a Facebook account, so I’m basically stalking the camp. I was reassured to see pictures of Pie playing hand games–the girl can’t be too unhappy if she’s teaching other kids her hand games. Although I did hear from the camp mom that there has been one bout of homesickness, although she seemed to recover fairly quickly.
We can send the kids e-mails, which the office prints out and delivers to them. They have no access to computers, so it’s a one-way communication. Finding stuff to write to them is difficult. How many creative ways can I write, “Mommy spent the day writing. And then I had drinks.” I’ve been bugging Adam to write so I don’t have to do it every day. Yesterday morning I asked him, “Did you write the kids this morning?”
He said, “I worked out this morning! I didn’t have time to write them!”
I reminded him, “You often work out when the kids are home. But this morning you didn’t have to cook breakfast, go upstairs while Pie got dressed, break up the fights, say no to the iPad, and all the other things you do in the morning that you tell me prevent you from doing other things.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Turns out, that stuff really doesn’t take up much time.”
At which point I made him write an e-mail. See? Even with the kids gone, I have to make someone do homework.
