Camp Tales
I have been to camp with my boys each year since we moved to Maryland, but this is my first time to attend a youth camp with one of them. Since both of our boys are autistic, we do our best to help them understand proper responses for social situations. Sometimes it is much harder for them to grasp.
Ashton went to his first youth camp last year. Wendy went also, but he had freedom because she was not staying in his cabin, obviously. He had some problems when one of the boys from his group told him to leave them alone because nobody liked him. Although it really hurt his feelings, he made other friends during that week and simply hung out with these boys. Since Ashton does not quite get the social aspects of making friends, for example he never learned their names, we were very happy that he was able to make some friends and enjoy the rest of his camp experience.
This year I was glad to find out that a couple of his friends would be at camp, but both of these boys have discovered girls and are too busy showing off for the girls to spend time with Ashton. I could not make the first day of camp because of our Patriotic Musical. I drove down the second day arriving just in time for lunch. As soon as Ashton saw me he came to sit with me at a table full of adults. His two friends sat at a table with a bunch of girls. Ashton really wanted me to come to his afternoon track times (sports) and it quickly became apparent that he was not making any effort to make friends with any of the other youth.
I am torn between enjoying the time that he and I have to spend together and wanting him to succeed in making some friends and enjoying being a youth at camp. He is oblivious to what others may think while he is with me. Most of the time as we walk from one activity to the next he reaches out to hold my hand. Most seventh graders would not do this in front of their peers. Or fifth grader doesn't like me to hold his hand around his friends. He also wants me to sit by him at every bible study, worship time, etc. I have not seen him trying to talk to any of the youth from our group. And even though some girls started talking to him about how he looks like some guy from their church, he simply shrugged his shoulders at them and continued talking to me about how funny something was on the first day that I missed.
It breaks my heart to see how he does not seem to fit in with his own group and yet he seems oblivious and very happy to just be with me. I guess it is good that he enjoys being with me, because the last thing I would want to have done at his age is spend time with my parents at a youth camp. So I guess I will simply enjoy the time we have together and not worry about what apparently is not bothering him.
Ashton went to his first youth camp last year. Wendy went also, but he had freedom because she was not staying in his cabin, obviously. He had some problems when one of the boys from his group told him to leave them alone because nobody liked him. Although it really hurt his feelings, he made other friends during that week and simply hung out with these boys. Since Ashton does not quite get the social aspects of making friends, for example he never learned their names, we were very happy that he was able to make some friends and enjoy the rest of his camp experience.
This year I was glad to find out that a couple of his friends would be at camp, but both of these boys have discovered girls and are too busy showing off for the girls to spend time with Ashton. I could not make the first day of camp because of our Patriotic Musical. I drove down the second day arriving just in time for lunch. As soon as Ashton saw me he came to sit with me at a table full of adults. His two friends sat at a table with a bunch of girls. Ashton really wanted me to come to his afternoon track times (sports) and it quickly became apparent that he was not making any effort to make friends with any of the other youth.
I am torn between enjoying the time that he and I have to spend together and wanting him to succeed in making some friends and enjoying being a youth at camp. He is oblivious to what others may think while he is with me. Most of the time as we walk from one activity to the next he reaches out to hold my hand. Most seventh graders would not do this in front of their peers. Or fifth grader doesn't like me to hold his hand around his friends. He also wants me to sit by him at every bible study, worship time, etc. I have not seen him trying to talk to any of the youth from our group. And even though some girls started talking to him about how he looks like some guy from their church, he simply shrugged his shoulders at them and continued talking to me about how funny something was on the first day that I missed.
It breaks my heart to see how he does not seem to fit in with his own group and yet he seems oblivious and very happy to just be with me. I guess it is good that he enjoys being with me, because the last thing I would want to have done at his age is spend time with my parents at a youth camp. So I guess I will simply enjoy the time we have together and not worry about what apparently is not bothering him.
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