Two days worth remembering ... for many reasons

I spent the last two days at Camp Tecumseh near Lafayette, IN with my favorite daughter, Zoe.

It was a trip to remember ... for many reasons. Many because of her. Several not.

I am so grateful at this very moment -- weary from two days of trail hikes and lack of sleep and cold showering -- for a warm house and clean clothes. And for a kid who seems to get it in terms of life and life lessons and respecting others.

Fifth graders, of which Zoe is one, are near and dear to my heart. But after 48 hours (or about that) with 50 of my kiddo's counterparts, I have to wonder WTF?

Where is common decency? And manners? What happened to respecting others, including peers AND adults? And why oh why is the word "crap" or "freakin" acceptable as common vernacular among today's 11-year-old set? Seriously.

I am a new woman after this camp outing (a tradition at Zoe's elementary school, where fifth graders learn life lessons and leadership skills, among other things). I slept very little. But oh my, did I learn a lot.

Among the lessons:
1. Listening is a life skill that's lacking -- not just among kids, but adults, too ... and it was reinforced many times in scheduled and not-so-scheduled activities.

2. Helicopter parents are alive and well -- and even if I thought I might be one, this camping experience taught me that I am nothing close to the definition. Wow.

3. If you give people a chance (both young and old), they will definitely surprise you. Good and bad.

4. Buses are for the birds. Both of the school variety and otherwise. (Why did anyone ever think it was a good idea to get upwards of 3 dozen people crammed into a tight space with limited leg room and expect anything BUT a tyranny?)

All I can say after an exhausting two days of camping, hiking, climbing and exploring is that I am so very proud of my daughter and her closest friends for being model fifth graders ... and that I thank the good Lord for fifth grade teachers who can accept all the children in their care for who they are and where they land on any given day.

I could NEVER be an elementary school teacher. But I am so glad there are people who can be just that.

And these two days go down in my books as the best and worst of times. But mostly the best. I'm so glad I had this time with the Z-bird. I know other parents feels the same -- even if theirs were among the "worst" of the times we had. :)