Spencer's Day Out

Spencer went to a day camp today. He complained yesterday that he didn't want to go and that it was unfair, and I was making him go, etc. I tried the nice way (he'd have to pay the 8 Euros back to me that I paid for the day camp, and if he doesn't think he's old enough, then maybe he doesn't want to go). That got him thinking, but I didn't feel I had enough time to wait and see if it would work, so later I told him he had to go and I didn't want to discuss it anymore. This caused us to get into a fight. He came to me later and apologized, and we had a decent conversation about the event at that point and he seemed positive about going. I also told him that the school psychologist had suggested as many summer camps as possible for Spencer. He seemed to be like that the suggestion was not just from mom and dad. When he woke up this morning, he was all business and got ready.

His report at the end of the day was as follows: he met some mean people and some nice people - one leader who hates Americans and all things from America (including Spencer apparently - I would have loved to hear the conversation). Several kids who were punks. But Spencer was good at Soccer )made a sweet goal and played goalie pretty well and at the Foosball table (kicker) he scored a sweet goal. He road a boat from Kaiserswerth to Düsseldorf, went to the top of the Düsseldorf Rhine Tower, made a 5 cent coin into a picture of the tower (1 € and 5 cents is what it cost). He said the kids center (meeting point for the day camp) was very cool. He is going there next week with Hannah for another day camp (not so exotic - just a nature hike).

Anyway, Spencer said he did not have enough water, but had a good time. I was getting a little bit nervous about him at 7:15 p.m., when he still wasn't home. I was expecting him at about 7:10 p.m. and since he left at 8:00 a.m., it had been a long day.

He also had one funny experience - his ice cream melted in his backpack. Some questions come to mind a) Why would ice cream be in a back pack long enough to melt, b) Why would one put ice cream in a back pack in the first place, c) How much damage does a melted ice cream sandwich do to a back pack?

In reverse order. c) Not much. The inside was a bit water proof, i.e., plastic, and washed right out. b) The other kids told Spencer that he couldn't buy anything and so he hid the ice cream in his back pack. a) why the trash or asking the leader wasn't better than the back pack - only experience can teach Spencer that. Plus on the school outing, Spencer got in trouble for buying something due to a confusion on our part - school letter said - do not bring money in such a fancy, elaborate, eloquent way as to confuse my wife into thinking the kids could bring money. There are no bullet points in communications from the school - all paragraphs, all the time. So, when Spencer bought something (thinking this was normal acceptable behavior), he got in trouble.

Oh well, it was a good day for Spencer to be out on his own and among other kids.