Day Camp

The last few summers, the Buddy has attended a great day camp put on by a group that organizes one of our autism support groups. They offer it during the time between when summer school ends & school starts up again for the fall. It is heaven-sent because those can be some of the longest weeks of the summer. Also, we are usually able to get the CA Regional Center to pay for most of it - a huge plus as well!

This year, I signed the Buddy up for two weeks of camp. It was M-F for 4 hours each day. He loved it because it provided him some much-needed structure, and is somewhat similar to a school setting & routine. I also sent the Princess for the second week, to attend as a "typical sib" and she had so much fun. I received glowing reports each day from the teachers about how helpful she was to the other kids in the class. She made friends with everyone, she got them to try new things, and engouraged them when needed.

It made my heart swell to hear these things about our little Princess. I am so glad she's developing compassion & caring for others at such a young age. She is so sweet with the Buddy and I think in some way, she realizes that he's different from other kids we know. I think all of these experiences will serve her well as she gets older. I know there will be times she finds her brother annoying or even embarassing - but what siblings don't feel that way at some time. I also know she will be his best friend, his biggest cheerleader & even his greatest protector as she gets older.

So, yay for a great day camp! Yay for some sanity time for me! And yay that school starts in a week! Next week, I'm the entertainer. We're off to Tilden Park, the CA Academy of Sciences, and the beach. Still need to plan a couple of more things...maybe a park day, Jelly Belly or the Oakland Zoo! Gotta send summer out with a bang, right?!?