Camping Out with the Scouts

Kiernan has joined the Cub Scouts.

I wanted to enroll him in Scouting because I had fun with Pathfinders. I am no longer comfortable with that organization but wanted him to have some of the fun that I did.

I've read a lot about how Scouting works and was really impressed by some of the competencies required and felt like both kids could benefit a great deal from the programs.

We signed up with a pack that is comprised mainly of boys from Kiernan's school (Pack 1191).

The first meeting was flight themed and we saw a drone (quad-copter) and a lecture by a civilian and military pilots. The boys got toy planes and a handout on aeronautics.

The parents got sheets listing volunteer opportunities.

I decided to take pictures and write up articles for local papers about Cub Scout things.

I chased down the pilots and took their picture.

In the middle of the week Frederick County Schools gave the kids a day off to go to the fair.

On that same day Kiernan was offered admission to the Frederick Classical Charter school.

I so wanted him to go to that school but he has had so much trouble settling in that it seems completely unreasonable to go now. I was very disappointed and conflicted. I shook it of and instead of moping we rode rides and ate fair food.

We had a good time.

Meg's was still too small for a lot of rides but she enjoyed the heck out of the ones they let her on. She asked Kiernan to go with her and seemed to feel safe if he was nearby.

Look at her face!

The next day I went to get some new glasses.

At home we set up our big tent in the front yard to air out before the camping trip.

The kids loved the tent.

We camped in the yard and even slept over night in the tent twice during the week.

On Friday Megan and I went to Baker Park for a playground hike.

We found an apple tree in the middle of the park.

I wonder if these have been sprayed I wonder if they are safe to eat. She brought a few home but I'm not sure.

She climbed some fake rocks.

She went 'fishing'.

I work late on Fridays so we packed up the car for camping when I got home and tried to find something good to do with Pax (fail).

On Saturday morning early Kiernan and I headed up to Washington Monument State Park.

David and Megan stayed home with the dog.

Kiernan took my phone and documented our pitching process.

We got up there before 8 and got a spot next to his best friend Alex.

After things were set up we ate some breakfast and got ready for the Flag ceremony.

I got a lovely text from David when I asked  whet they were up to.

The bathroom is getting its final bit of essential makeover.

For us it was off to the games. This camp out was the 2nd annual Mount Airy joint pack event. In the morning our pack 1191 was in charge of the activities.

The boys played dodge ball and capture the flag and ran relay races.

This all sounds outstanding but it was a rough rough morning for poor Kiernan.

First of all he has never played any of these games before (nor seen them). Then there was the fact that the games were not explained very much. Then there was the sad and consistent injury to my poor boy.

He was not the only one crying on the sidelines but for sure he was the one who was there the most throughout the day.

There was some conflict amongst the adults about whether or not the games were a good idea or not, and I must say after the time Kiernan had of it I am conflicted as well.

Dodge ball is a game that I played in school for years on end. It was a laziness of the staff at my elementary school, I think. We were not allowed to do anything but play dodgeball. It kept us all in one small area for easy supervision while the teachers socialized.

It is a violent game with a good number of bad associations for me.

Poor Aunt Carolyn broke both her good violin playing arms in one of our daily gladiatorial dodgeball games.

Kiernan was very excited and ran around in clueless puppy-like circles.

Unfortunately he wound up slammed in the face and in the ear and in the top of the head.

He retired from the field in tears and bruised and asking to go home.

I took him for a small walk to help him collect himself.

We returned to the game in time for the rule change of adults all in.

After that point I stood between him and any wild balls and tried to protect some of the other smaller kids. 

At the same time Kiernan's friend Alex became the medic (the hero of the game) and all Kiernan's excitement returned.

Hoping that our struggles were over we admired our new toilet pictures from home.

Capture the flag was much worse. 

There was almost no explanation of the game. I think the assumption that capture the flag is a known game is reasonable. On the other hand Kiernan had no idea what was going on. He ran around doing what older boys told him to do but kept asking me if he could go back to the tent. Then he just laid down on the pitch. I am not sure if he thought this is how the game went (as the other team were making a long body chain of them selves from their safe area) or if he just gave up. One way or another it earned him a solid gut check from a boy who he has had trouble with on the bus before.

It left him breathless and nauseous and crying on the sidelines again.

My poor boy.

I didn't send him back to the game after that. I just sat with him and hugged him until he stopped crying and talked about how the game is supposed to be played. His team won but I don't think he much cared.

After that it was the relay race.

In this case the boys got instruction but not the adults.

I was handed a sheaf of white paper with the word 'helpful' on them.

I was lined up with other parents across the bottom of the field. The boys were lined up opposite us and began running our way. I later found out that they had to collect one of each of our papers (they were the 12 attributes from the Cub Scout Law). All I knew was that one of the smaller boys came running down the field confused so I called him over and handed him a 'helpful' and then immediately thereafter Kiernan came pelting towards me crying his eyes out.

We left the field post haste (I handed of my papers to the nearby event running adult). After about 10 minutes of calming down Kiernan let me know that the boy who took my 'helpful' had taken Kiernan's turn in the race and then as he got my word he blocked Kiernan from being allowed to run to to me. It was all too much.

sigh.

Then it was time for lunch.

We sat by the tent and ate hummus and pita chips and drank lots of juice and tried out some Mac and Cheese in a cup. We tossed grapes into our mouths and chatted with Alex and relaxed.

After lunch was the hike.

Kiernan asked to go on the shorter hike (1 mile) so we marched off with lots of kids from pack 460.

He was a little nervous around all the new kids but ended up enjoying the hike very much.

Success from home front parallel our successful mid hike geo-chache hunt.

We looked for items on a scavenger hunt list.

The scavenger hunt was the crux of an inter pack Mount airy Battle Flag competition.

Kiernan had his serious woodsman face on.

We looked for and found 4 items that fit on a penny simultaneously.

We also found the bonus beetle from our hunt list. Look how tiny that thing is! 

When we got back to camp it was time for instruction.

Assuming the boys would be tired after hiking around, pack 460 (whose turn it now was to host activities)

brought out some camping 101 lectures and activities.

Older kids taught younger kids how to do a square knot.

Adults demonstrated to a pile of delighted boys what happens when a tent collapses while occupied.

There was a bit about outdoor cooking and gear buying too.

The end of the lectures saw the return of the games (much to Kiernan's dread and disgust)

It was time for tug-of-war.

He headed resignedly toward the rope and then saw the boy of the elbow checking and school bus. My boy veered off into the woods and flatly refused to go back to the rope.

I tried to talk him into giving it a try further away from that boy and eventually we headed back to the line. By then the first round was over and the next round was kids vs. adults. 

I am still not sure what about that concept upset him so much but Kiernan flipped out. Kids and adults cannot fight. It was anathema to his world view. He cried and yelled no and ran off.

Once he calmed down again I said we could just watch. By then it was adults vs adults. I hoped if I tried it and had fun he might relax about the whole thing.

I joined a bunch of adults and tugged away. We lost. It was fun. He decided that he would give it a try and picked up the rope. 

But game was over. I cheered him for picking up the rope. He came over for a hug. I stood up and drove my shoulder straight into his face.

Bruised face plus adult shoulder moving at speed...bad combination.

sigh...

After he calmed down from that it was time for the evening flag ceremony. He just wanted to stay in the tent. I walked him over to the lineup but he wouldn't leave my side. I worried about the reputation he was getting with the other boys.

The Scout leader asked if everyone had a fun day. All other boys yelled YES! Kiernan yelled NO! Then the Cub Master listed all the fun things they had done. Kiernan stood passively for the list until kids vs. adults was mentioned.

He lost it. We went to the tent.

Daddy and Megan arrived.

Suddenly everything was OK.

We ate dinner and played with Alex some more. All the boys came up with skits. Kiernan memorized his lines and happily preformed them in front of 80 or 90 people.

It was announced that Pack 1191 had won the scavenger hunt and could claim the Battle flag.

Both kids slept well and were happy the next morning.

It started to drizzle and we struck camp and said good bye to Alex and headed home.

I made pancakes and we had a down day.

Woof.

I wondered how he would be after all that turmoil. When mom asked him how camping went he said Great! I mean Terrible!

both things were true.

Since coming back he has shown a lot less separation anxiety toward school though.

He went up the hill to the bus all by himself yesterday.

I was so proud.