Camp

Raising any child involves the process of letting go. With a special needs child that process becomes a lot trickier. We are considering sleep away camp for GB. Since the Cons are easier, I will start with them.

Cons 

• GB has never slept anywhere without me except  a few single nights at my sisters.
• Hope would be home and she wouldn't.
• It is expensive- $10,000 for six weeks, $2200 for the one week I would agree to.
•  A lot of new experiences, packed into one week. (Not GB's strong point)
• Would have to trust someone else with GB's medication. (Not my strong point)
• She is only eight!

Now for the harder to articulate Pros

Pros

• It is a special needs camp, with a counselor to camper ratio that varies from 1:3 to 1:1
• It is only 25 miles away.
• GB is social- she loves friends!
• It would give her a chance to stretch her wings and see how capable she really is.
• The camp offers her kind of activities- swimming, campfires, horseback riding, arts and crafts, singing and dancing, drum playing and putting on plays.
• Her disabilities would be approximately in the middle.
• I have to start letting go sometime.

GB and I are hoping to go visit the camp this weekend, weather permitting. She will get to see the campus and the director will get to see her. After that I can speak with him again about how good a fit this camp would be for her.