I have a few What Would You Do questions:
1. You go camping every Memorial Day (since like 20 years ago). You make reservations a year in advance because it's hard to get in to state parks. Your son plays in a very competitive youth soccer league, but he doesn't have games scheduled for that weekend. However, a few early games were cancelled due to weather and three weeks before Memorial Day, the coaches announce a tournament the team will play in over Memorial Day weekend. Plus, there's a Thursday night game.
WWYD?
2. You are camping with your 13 year old daughter. Just you and her in a tent, but Kim & Chris are in the site next to you. Rain is expected and you are under a tornado watch. Severe storms are going north of the campground and not much is expected at the campsite, however, you never know. The ranger comes through the sites at 10 p.m. with a siren on, informing everyone of the storms and that they need to find shelter if the horn blares overnight. Your daughter starts hyperventilating and freaking out. She tries to calm down, but is still upset. She wants to pack up and go home (home is 2 hours away).
WWYD?
Tough parenting choices.
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This blog is a collection of things on my mind. Could be serious, could be rambling idiocy. I invite you all to read, debate, ridicule, *whack*, and even give me a little love.
15 comments:
If son was anxious to play I would stay home and let him play. He doesn't have 20 years invested in this camping tradition, and is trying create his own world in a new youth sports tradition that is surprisingly unforgiving of people having lives outside of Sport. (Then I would raise holy hell with the stupid coaches for putting parents into this no-win situation on a holiday weekend.) (I also predict this won't matter to them at all, because they just wanted to extend the "opportunity" to those members of the team "who could make it.")
It would depend. I would have to be there. There's freakout, and then there's FREAKOUT!!!
Did you and Chris have a nice time camping by yourselves?
*plays Johnson & Johnson "Everything Changes" commercial*
1. I probably miss the camping trip this year and make a mental note to say something when the season starts again. Chances are I'm not the only parent whose plans changed.
Now, I also think it could depend on how competitive it is. Is this something he does for fun? Is it something that's going to help him go pro later on? Is it something that I absolutely have to attend? Like if I'm a dad, can mom go for this weekend? Is the kid going to be upset if I'm not there? Can an aunt/uncle/grandparent take him, etc.? Not to downplay the camping trip at all, but I'm more likely to choose soccer that year.
Wait, soccer? I'm going camping. If it's baseball . . . *grin*
2. Hmmmm, this sounds eerily familiar. I tell her about the time Kim and I got evacuated at 2 a.m. and sent into a building for several hours. And then as we make our way back to the campsite and gawk and gasp about the tents blown into the lake, I remember to confiscate any air pump machinery or other noise makers from any site around me.
I'm probably not going home. I will get up, go out and see what the plan is with everyone and relay that plan to my daughter. And honestly, if Kim and Chris are in the next site, I think I'm okay because you guys are very experienced.
To hell with the damn kids. We go camping and we stay there all damn night. Even if the sirens come a blarin. And if we survive? We have one hell of a story to tell people.
Or
We TP Kim and Chris' tent and blame another campsite for it.
Well #2 wouldn't happen since dad's a meteorologist.
I don't know about #1...Memorial Day Weekend was always prime soccer tournament weekend for my brother growing up. I even watched a soccer game on Sunday.
*snort to Bravie
Son: I would see if he could stay with a friend that plays soccer on the same team. If not the kid is going camping with us. I think those camping trips are as important as those games and since you had the camping plans first....
Daughter: I wouldn't go home. I'd tell her it's more dangerous to be driving in it than staying and having a good plan in case storms do come thru. And have her be there when talking about the plan.
Story: Rob and I were camping once and rode out a storm in our little 2 man tent. It was storming so hard the top of the tent kept coming down and bopping us on our heads. We were soaked, and it was fun :)
The soccer thing was the hardest for me. My nephew really would've rather gone camping. His dad said he made a committment to his team and needed to play. The league is the type where if you don't play in that one, you probably will never make the first string high school soccer team. And yeah, the kid is good enough to play in college at least. Maybe more.
I thought the freakout was pretty mild. Lots of heavy breathing and whimpering and crying. I blame it mostly on the sirens. It was otherwise anxiety that could've been dealt with easily. We talked about a plan of where we'd go if things got bad, etc. and she still wasn't ok. Chris and I really tried to downplay it all, too, but it didn't help.
Boo-I didn't even think about the 3Day story! Good call!
Chris thinks she should write down what scares her about storms. What is she afraid of? I think that's an excellent idea. Gives us all a starting point to help deal with her issues.
And if that doesn't help, there's always drugs :) That's what works for the dog anyway!
Right, should've given her some Nyquil and a shot of bourbon.
I can't answer either of these questions since I don't camp :-)
Now substitute the scenario with a trip to a resort, and I could likely relate.
BTW kim, congrats on the grad school decision (I saw your note on my blog)! I'm STILL working on my thesis (*sigh*), but it's been totally worth it!
You are still working on your thesis?! This is my nightmare. It will take me ten years to get through my program.
If DD really wanted to play in the tournament and could stay with a friend that also plays, that's what we would do. I'd still go camping. *grin*
If DD ever freaked out while camping in a storm (not likely) I would start telling stories and get her mind of her anxiety.
Gee Kim, that makes me feel so much better :-)
Yeah, I kind of got derailed, took a couple months off, but I'm back on track with a timeline in place to get it done. My advisor has a motto that I'm adopting as my new mantra: "A good thesis is a done thesis."
Sorry, I let my own paranoia bleed through. You must have a great advisor. I like that motto. :-)
1. It is a select team? Cause those guys are nutso crazy life takes a backseat to sports people. Either way, I'd probably still go camping. Tradition and all that. I would consider letting DS stay with friends if there were recruiters there. Scholarships are your friend.
2. I'd go home. But this mom hates t-storms in a tent just about as much as DD would.
Ack, tough choices. I can't answer either of these right now without having to seriously think about it and thinking was just *not* on my agenda today. ;-)
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