Camp Fail
Today I have a case of the Idonwannas, which I think I picked up this morning from Lucas. (So I’ll write about him instead of doing the work I should be doing.)
He REALLY didn’t want to go to camp today and we made him go. I’m going to pick him up early after lunch—this is my compromise. It turns out that his aversion to this day camp began on the last day of the week he attended camp in June. They had a "dance party" and somebody put on Michael Jackson’s "Thriller." The song spooked Lucas greatly and he says he has had bad dreams about it since then. I will concede that the song is very spooky, what with the Vincent Price narration and the subject matter. We 30-somethings are fond of it because it came out when we were … older … than Lucas is now. And we loved it because of the dancing in the music video and we were old enough to enjoy feeling scared. Seven is not an age that enjoys that type of thing, no matter how much he might claim to be ready for it! I’ve had a conversation about this with the lady running the day camp, and she is sorry that it happened. We have both assured Lucas it won’t happen again today and he can relax and enjoy the last few hours. I hope he does.
I’ve learned a lot through this experience. I learn more about my 7-year-old every day. I know that his Waldorf upbringing has been somewhat sheltered—that other kids his age are more "worldly" than he is. And although I’m not sorry he is getting a small taste of the world, with its diversity and speed and excitement, I am sure that he is still a sensitive little boy who deserves our protection, and he shouldn’t be forced to experience things he is not ready for. I am not sorry we’ve sheltered him, even though sometimes it’s problematic for us. There is such a tangle of contradictions to unravel as he transitions from young childhood to childhood, and measuring out doses of the real world is a challenge both for him and for us as his parents. Poor Lucas! He has to teach us so much in this life.
So although my little boy would like nothing more than to play a wicked, made-up "Star Wars" laser gun battle all day, he cannot yet be blasé about a 5-minute song released in 1984.
I love him so much it hurts.
July 17, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Poor Lucas…thank goodness he has loving supportive parents to advocate for him and give him unconditional love. I bet there were other kids who were as freaked out as he was and said nothing. Also the change of environment probably had as much to do with his fear as the song itself.
And while you can’t protect him from every ‘bad feeling’ you get the honor of being his ‘safe place’ where he can be open and vulnerable and work through life’s challenges. What a blessing.
July 17, 2009 at 2:55 pm
>>We 30-somethings are fond of it because it came out when we were … older … than Lucas is now. << Actually, Thriller came out when I was 6 years old and I just thought it was the coolest thing ever. The zombies never scared me for some reason. I was terribly afraid of Tim Curry in Legend, but not the Thriller video.