Been thinking of this post and wanted another way to explain things. I am sure it's very disappointing for all of you that this particular camp didn't work, and frustrating because of the price. I like to think of these things as a learning experience and move on. You don't need to go to extremes and assume that because this situation didn't work that he will want to live with you till he is married.
My analogy for what it's worth. I am teaching my kids to cook a meal. (Having them choose what to cook, cooking the entire meal.) I consider this an important life skill. Say my son chooses to cook something that is expensive & complex and it gets ruined. The food is burnt, and completely inedible. And we have to eat PB&J or go out to eat. We are all justifiably hungry and frustrated, and disappointed that night. The ingredients were expensive and we were looking forward to the meal. Multiple possible things went wrong, maybe I didn't supervise enough, he wasn't ready for something so complex. Do I look at this situation laugh, decide it's a learning experience, re-evaluate how will will change things the next time he cooks and encourage him to keep trying. Or do I decide my son will never learn to cook. And justify it because boys don't need to cook anyway, they don't in many places around the wold it's only our culture that thinks boys should cook.
I'm not saying that a job next year might be the right thing for your son, and no I probably wouldn't sent him back to this camp. I am just trying to say, learn from this mistake and support your son. I find we often learn more from things that went wrong, than the things that go right. Kids/teens grow non-linearly and while this wasn't the right thing at the right time. Pulling him out and having him trust you that when things get bad you have his back is important. In another year or two he will probably be a much more mature teenager. Maybe find some less expensive, shorter way he can be away from home for a period of time when he is ready. Maybe a trip to a relative on his own, or a weekend camping trip with friends.
Last edited by bluemagic; 07/21/14 12:36 PM.
