Parents camp and the dreaded phone call

[Panda-girl's Mom]

Dropped off daughter at IGC camp Sunday. She was so excited all 3 girls were together in same cabin. She was playing when I left and seemed perfectly fine. Yesterday I was really missing her, it is really hard to go without calling her to check on her (I did not think it would be that difficult), I was wondering is she eating, is she having fun, is she wearing her wrist guards. Then I figured she must be fine and having fun. Then this am I get a call from the nurse that she spent the night in the health center because about 12 last night she felt sick. She assured me she slept fine and sent her back to her cabin this am. Well I insisted I needed to talk to her so they did get her and she told me she was fine and was a gym work out this am. Then the nurse got on the phone and said she was teary eyed after talking to me and they pulled her out of work out and when they got her she was smiling and happy, so of course I felt bad.
I am not sure if se has a nervous stomach because, she has called me when she feels sick at her home gym which happens every summer and I told the coaches just let her sit out till she feels better stop calling me and I am fine. I quess feel I know her coaches and I trust them. Now I feel like she is at IGC where I do not know anybody and I am nervous and worried. I honestly did not think I would feel this way. She bugged me to go to IGC for 4 years and I finally gave in. Now I am wondering if I made the right decision by letting her go. I did ask her if she wanted me to come get her and she said no. She did tell me she meet Nastia.
Sorry to ramble. It is going to be a long week!

 

[gymjoy]

I bet it is a combination of her normal summer stomach issues and being away at camp for the first time.
I don't like what the nurse told you about her being happy until she spoke to you. Even if it is true, she only did it to prove a point to you which, imho, was rude.
The hard part for you is you need to trust your dd and the camp that everything is okay - when they say it is and when you hear nothing. I'm sorry, I don't remember how old your dd is - and every child has their own levels of comfort and their own adjustment periods.

Hang in there - your strength will help your dd have her own strength.

 

[IrenicMom]

I don't like what the nurse told you about her being happy until she spoke to you. Even if it is true, she only did it to prove a point to you which, imho, was rude.

This was my first thought, too. How unprofessional. I have to say, from an outsider's perspective - between that and the report Gymnasticsparent posted, IGC isn't leaving a good taste in my mouth.

Regardless, though - I agree with the rest of Gymjoy's statements. She will be ok, and you will, too, in the long run, but that doesn't mean it won't require some strength right now. Hang in there, and be comforted by knowing now that they *will* call if there is an issue.

Big hugs!

 

[mariposa]

I bet it is probably just normal, first time at camp jitters. Hope she does better tonight and has a great time. Hugs to you, too!! I would be a wreck. I admit it!

As to the nurse, I think she might have thought she was making you feel better, telling you she really is happy and just a normal kid, missing her mom at her first away camp experience.

 

[gym law mom]

PGM--Take a deep breath and say over and over. "we will both get through this week." 1st time away from home is hard on the child and the parent(sometimes harder on the parent!). My guess is that dd was homesick and didn't quite know what to do about it and it manifested as an upset stomach. Probably as soon as she told the cabin mom(or whatever IGC calls them) she was taken to the nurse and they just let her stay. I'm sure they see this every session.

What the nurse said may not have come out right, but I think the thought behind it was to reassure you that it was basically a case of being homesick and otherwise she was physically fine. I know at these camps, most of the nurses are parents that are working the week their dd is at camp.

I'll bet once you get her home, she'll start asking about going back to camp next year.

Hang in there--Saturday is coming soon!

 

[jdf]

Phone calls! They cry, then run off and feel fine, and we are left with the tears and don't get to see them having a great time!

 

[IrenicMom]

If the intent of the nurse was to reassure, then it should have been left with the fact that she was smiling and happy when they had gone to retrieve her.

She definitely needs to work on her "consoling concerned parents" skills!

 

[Mom2Gymgirls]

Hang in there, Panda Girl! My dd is away at Flip Fest this week, and I'm freaking out too! Last summer she also went to camp, but she went with 2 girls from the gym and their mom. This year she is all alone. I had a missed call with no caller ID number this morning at 8:30, and I've been worrying all day if she was maybe trying to call me. I did see a couple pic's of dd that they posted on the camp facebook page, and I have to say that she looks like she's having a blast. Pick-up is on Friday for us. What about you?

I'm sure your dd is probably just a little homesick. I've heard the first day or so is the worst.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

My thought is the same as Mariposa's. I don't think the nurse was trying to be mean or rude, but just trying to reassure you that she was able to get over being teary eyed after talking to you on the phone. I think the fact that your daughter was able to be all smiley and happy so quickly is a testament to her flexbility in dealing with new situations! Good for her. I thnk you would've definitely felt worse to have heard that she had remained in a sad funk the rest of the day, right?

This is her first sleep away camp, right? I would be willing to bet money that by the end of the week, she won't WANT to come home! It's such a huge accomplishment for the girls to spend the week away from home, meet new people, do new things, etc.

I remember when Katy went to IGC the first time. I worried and thought about her all day long. I did NOT want to call her though... I got my "fix" by checking out the online photos every single day, waiting for a glimpse of her enjoying herself, and invariably there were several photos each day that showed her playing tug of war, playing that silly ball game on those trampolines with the nets, as well as the obligatory gym photos. It was such a great thing to see her smiling and having so much fun.

Have you checked out those photos yet?

 

[bogwoppit]

I am sure the nurse thought she was reasuring you. Funny how one day we have a child and then we can't imagine ever being without them. Separation is always so hard, but it is good for both of you. I know how you feel, there have been many times in the last 18 years when I have had to get used to firsts like yours. I am now used to it, and now I am actually happy when they are gone, as I know that they are fine and are with people who have been taking caring of children for years.

I am sure she will have a blast at IGC, homesickness is perfectly normal, if she didn't miss you I'd be more worried about her!!! Imagine the look on her face when you pick her up on Saturday, knowing that she did it will be so wonderful for you both.

Here is a (((HUG))) for you, keep busy and time will go faster!!

 

[my4buffaloes]

Ok, I have a different perspective. I just spent 9 days as a cabin mom at Woodward. If only the parents would quit calling their children and expecting their children to call them several times a day and just let them be there having fun. It was so frustrating to have all the girls needing to keep in touch with their parents constantly because it either made that child upset in the end because it reminded them of home and frequently the mom was upset and missing the child, or it made other girls in the cabin upset because they missed their mom and hadn't talked to them that day. does any of that make sense?

When it comes to home sickness, I found and learned from the homesick director that the best thing for the child is to be distracted and stay busy. Really you should have just had your child call you when she was done with practice. You obviously made the best choice you could at the time, so don't beat yourself up about it, but also realize that your daughter is fine. Missing you is normal and she needs to work through it on her own. I hope the rest of the week goes better.

Jennifer

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

Jennifer: EXACTLY right on.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

Well I did not get any calls today so I quess she is better. I understand what you are saying about talking to them and making it worse but it is hard not to talk to your child who is 10 for a week. I think it would even be hard not to talk to your spouse for a week if you went away. I am sure she is having fun but when I gave in to let her go I did not think it would be this stressful. I did look for pictures of her on line but there was a few of her doing gymnastics but it is difficult to see her face closeup maybe today there will be some. At least the week is half over.

 

[bogwoppit]

When my son, now 18, went to his dad's for xmas for a week at the age of two I thought I would DIE. I was a foreigner with no family in the country and the thought of not having him for that special time and for a whole week. Let me tell you I was a wreck.

But I survived and he was loved and very well taken care of by his loving father and extended family.

Letting go is very hard, but doing it bit by bit will make it that much easier.

Right now I am sitting waiting for DS to arrive from a two week trip to Montreal, a trip he took alone. This wouldn't have been possible if I couldn't let him go, it is a good thing, just a challenge.

When you pick her up you will see all that she has gained, and you will be so proud that she did it. She may be only 10, but she has acheived so much already. Look at what she can do alone!

 

[gymmom14]

I am sure she is OK. Did you send her will stuff to write you a letter? Last year once I got my first letter from my dd I felt so much better.
Don't worry, Saturday will be here before you know it.

 

[thnkGd4kds]

I just wrote the below with somehow missing the above few posts, but I'll leave it as I wrote it, anyway:

I agree that the nurse just probably thought she was being reassuring, and that maybe she was communicating the fact that children generally do better away from home when they do not speak to their parents. I know a couple of my children, when staying with my parents by themselves for a week, do better when they don't speak to me until the end of the week, and this is when they're spending time with 2 people who adore them, with whom they are completely comfortable, and with whom they have a total blast. My gymmie, in particular, happens to be like this. (The first time she stayed with them when they went to Canada, she was only 5. My Mom thought it'd be okay for her to call the night before she was coming home. I guess not! Poor little thing, who'd not had any issues prior to this, and had, if fact, had an absolute blast, cried and cried, then had a nightmare that night. When she goes to camp now, I tell the people to not ask if she wants to call home, and we don't call her.) Instead of calls to or from the child, I rely on notes hidden in travel bags that the whole family writes to the child to let him/her know we love him/her, carefully only mentioning the fun side of his/her time and not saying anything remotely like, "I miss you!" I know how hard it can be to have kids away from you and to want to speak to them! I'm always so eager for them to come home.

 

[medic3188]

Ambie is at IGC this week also. The pics look like she is having fun although last year she was in more pics. She got spotted by nastia on beam on a bwo,wow, a life memorable experience. We had a great experience at IGC last year, I hope she loved it this year. We did get a letter by Wednesday.Weird, but she ended up in the same cabin she was in last year-3. I worried that she did not end up in the lowest skill group and not about home sickness. Amber is pretty independant but competative. Tomorrow is the end of camp and I wish I could send her for another week. I promised her I would send her for two weeks next year.


My whole point, I guess is everythat every parent and child has different expectations about the camp experience. I hope your daughter loved camp and had the time of her life. Four years is a long time to wait. Have fun tomorrow. I wont be there her dad picks her up. Pick up day is a bit crazy.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

There was also pics of my daughter on the beam with Nastia (kind of made it all worth it she adores Nastia and I think that is why she wanted to go there). Funny maybe they were in the same workout group she was in cabin14. I can not wait to get her tommorrow I hope she had fun. I kind of decided I will wait a couple years next time for her to go away because of the expense and stressfulness. I may change my mind if her coaches were going with her.

 

[jdf]

My daughter is in cabin 13. I', leaving in 20 minutes to pick her up. Cna't wit to see her!

 

[jdf]

And I guess I'm excited because I edited twice for spelling and it is still all messed up!