Saturday, June 28, 2008

Trauma at Summer Camp -- Opportunity to Help

Alison, Hannah and Alex have been having a great time at the Jordan YMCA summer camp. In the 10 weeks or so they'll be campers, they'll learn some sign language, about Chinese culture, hone their laser tag, miniature golf and cooking skills and learn about all kinds of fun animals.
They'll also get to swim and play with crafts and generally have fun and keep out of trouble.

But like all good paradises, there's a snake in summer camp. A thievin' varmint who's made away (so far) with two Webkinz, two Littlest Pet Shops and a bag of candy. And that's just from our three campers.

It was on the way home the other day that I discovered the Webkinz had gone missing. This was more than simple trauma. The Webkins were Hannah's. She'd loaned them to Alex so he could play with them during the day. The were the kids' two favorite Webkinz. And Alex had confessed already that he'd lost the gecko. We spent some time checking Lost & Found and in corners around the camp but no luck. When Hannah discovered in the car that he'd lost the lion, too, all sorts of wailing commenced. Hannah was mad and sad. Alex was distraught that his big sister was mad at him, even though he didn't do it on purpose. Alison was remembering her Littlest Pet Shops that that had been the victim of an earlier heist.

I say heist because I'm certain the toys have been stolen, rather than lost. The pet shops could have been lost, but the pattern has been the same: they leave the toys near, but not inside their backpacks when they go out for an activity or to the bathroom. They return to find no toys.

Now, we've all talked to them both before an after the thefts about the need to keep special things home. I think they've all really learned the lesson. But it didn't soften the pain of the most recent loss.

To help stem the sobbing I suggested that they think about ways they could recover from the blow. We talked about having a lemonade stand or doing chores for money to raise enough to replace the missing toys.

We've settled on a yard sale where they'll sell the toys they no longer play with.

Last week they made some pretty good inroads into examining what could be sold and what needed to be kept. The plastic bin in the photo is nearly full now; the toy box less so.

I think we'll have the sale in August when I'm off on vacation with them. It'll probably be sometime between August 11 and 14 if I can hold them off that long. And I think there may also be a lemonade stand. Depending on how I'm feeling, it may or may not have vodka in it...

Anyone who wants to donate toys for the sale -- or come by to shop or sip -- should stay tuned. I'll give you an exact date soon.

Prices will target the 4-feet-and-under wallet.

No comments: