The Adjustment Period Continues

Well, as expected, Daniel burst into tears at this morning's camp drop-off. He knew where we were as soon as I pulled up to the car line. He gave me this look as if to say, "You're not seriously thinking about leaving me here again, are you?" I tried to be as enthusiastic and upbeat as possible, but his little face crumpled as soon as he was taken out of the car. The worst part was watching him cry as he was carried into the building, reaching for me the whole time. It really broke my heart to see him so sad, and to think about how he would do for the rest of the morning. I know that he will eventually get used to this new routine and hopefully even look forward to going to camp, but I can't help but worry that he's just not ready for this separation. I hope that I am proven wrong over the next couple of weeks!

At pick-up, Daniel was calm and excited to see me. He waved as he walked towards the car, and seemed happy to see Ollie again. I gave him his Diego cup with water and a bag of pretzels once he was in his car seat, and that made him happy. I even played a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song on my iPod during the 2-minute drive home! Anything to keep him content and positive!

Daniel's counselor, Cathy, called me later this afternoon to give me the daily report. She said that Daniel was sad today, but not as sad as he had been on Monday. He participated in the group project and even went swimming (though she mentioned that he didn't like his water shoes -- I can totally imagine how he must have given the counselors a hard time when they were trying to put them on his feet!). She listed as many positive things as she could think of (having been a teacher, I appreciated her method), including the fact that Daniel was able to recover quickly from his crying jags and that he allowed pretty much anyone to hold him and comfort him. While I'm thankful to anyone who provided that comfort, how I wish that it could have been me!