So camp

Ads in on camp. He was very excited to go, even though he didn't want to be away from home. Such a dilemma for a mini-bloke.

Off he set this morning, with his 5 pieces of luggage, for two nights away. Everyone else had similar amounts of luggage because they have to take everything they need - tent, sleeping bags, clothing, wet weather gear and all the food they intend to eat. That's on top of the $60 fee for the privilege. And money for the pay-for-use showers.

At 6pm, my cellphone went and the conversation went like this -
"Mum, where are the baked beans?"
"In the end of your bag."
"No they aren't."
"Yes they are."
"I can't find them."
"Look in the end pocket."
"We went sea kayaking."
"Was it fun?"
"Yup."
"Cool."
"Found the baked beans."
"OK, have fun, happy cooking."

Two hours later, the landline phone goes
*upset sounds*
"Mum, the zip broke on the tent."
"Don't worry about it, just pull the flap down."
"It won't do up any more."
"Just pull the top flap down, it will be fine."
"Some of the Maori boys are hassling me."
"Tell the shits to piss off."
"And someone has stolen one of my yoghurts out of the fridge."
"Just use the 3 you have left."
"They won't leave me alone."
"Go find your teacher and get him to sort it out."
"We've been told to stay away from the teachers tents."
"Go stand by the tents and call out your teacher's name and say you need him."
"But I'll get in trouble."
"Tell him if he thinks he has a problem with it he can ring me and I'll tell him why he DOESN'T have a problem."
*sniff*
"OK. When can I come home?"
"Friday."
*louder sniff*
"Love you."
"Love you too, have a good night and a great day tomorrow."


I haven't heard any more.

Now, I'm trying to figure out why the staff, who have taken 40 or 50 13 year old boys camping (kids who have cooking knives and fishing knives and an assortment of other potential weapons in their kit), at a public camping ground have their tents set up in a separate area and told the kids to stay away. It reeks of something less than acceptable supervision from where I am sitting 40 minutes drive away.

But that's because I know how much shit Adam gets at school from his peers, how much he hates being away from home, how unused to being in a tent he is and how scary he finds it alone at night.

Kids are such nasty little bastards, I wonder if their parents are proud of them?

I hope his first night pans out better than it sounds or he'll be down with a migraine tomorrow from the stress and needing to come home. He's already had a bad week migraine-wise and it's only Wednesday.



In other news, I went to the dentist today to get my sore tooth looked at; it's a pre-molar or whatever they are called, not at the back and not at the front, sort of in between. The dentist says the old repair on the tooth has failed and the nerve is dying. The options are to pull it out or have a root canal. Tough choice - pain and $185 or pain and $600.

The Scot in me demands a hearing - I'm going to have it pulled out and that will leave me with 26 teeth. You can call me Gappy, but not to my face, not if you like all YOUR teeth where they are now.

I don't know which is worse about the dentist, the pain in the mouth or the pain in the wallet.

I'm leaning towards the wallet.