The Inklings of Introversion... And Summer Camp

Yesterday we sent our oldest daughter off to camp for the first time. It's only a week, but it's the first time she'll ever be away from us for that long, so it's sort of a big deal...

And it got me thinking.  I went to camp once when I was her age. It was a Christian camp, but unfortunately the kids that were in my cabin weren't really interested in Christian things, in fact, they actually were really bad. I didn't know anyone who was there (it wasn't a church camp), and because I was actually a pretty good kid (at that point in my life, I wasn't interested in rebelling), I was ostracized. I had imagined that the week would be a fun one, but sadly, it was horrible.

As I thought about this week at camp, I realized that it was one of a few big incidences in my life that kind of pushed me into my shell. And, perhaps even led me down the path of writing (which we all know is a solitary, somewhat lonesome profession).

The thing is, I was a show-off when I was a kid. I would do anything to get some attention or make people laugh. I remember I could pop open the button of my pants by pushing my belly out. I would also just fall to the floor flat on my face (without bending my knees). I have no idea why I would do this, but anything for a laugh, right?

Look at this kid - what a comedian!

Somehow that changed over the years.  I went from being a fairly trusting kid to really not trusting anyone.  I was talking about it with my wife, and whereas she'll generally give everyone the benefit of the doubt, I think I put everyone on a trust probationary period.  I'm not distrustful yet, but I haven't fully committed to the actual trusting.  

That's why I was so bad at dating. My wedding anniversary is coming up this week and I have a couple of blog ideas for it, but here's a pre-cursor.  Dating, for me, was like gambling with my heart.  I always felt very insecure in my dating relationships because of my trust issues.

Ring Bearer... Not Frodo, but pretty close.

It was a little different with my wife because we started out as friends, but what helped me finally fully trust her is when I married her. I figured that since she actually legally committed to me, she must really mean what she said.

So, all that to say... I hope that Katie has fun at camp. She is sort of like me in her personality, and so I hope that she has a good time and it's not a scarring experience for her like my first time at camp.  We've tried to coach her on some things, just in case some of the girls aren't nice, but you never know what will happen when you send your child off for the first time... You can't protect them from everything, but you can be sure that I'll always try.

I think she'll do well at camp... I mean, she's not afraid of this worm!