Angst

So last night I pickup the boy. I'm a little late because I got cornered in the parking garage about the overnight job monitoring after the annoying last minute conference call. But I get the boy, we look in the lost & found for his missing lunch bag. No success, but not a big deal as it was kind of dying anyway. Then I mention that they are going on a field trip next week to the MD Science Center and it's really a cool place. Then he starts getting upset. Seems he's not sure he wants to go. "Deciding is a big responsibility", he tells me.

As we get into the car he starts crying. Geeze. I ask what's wrong. "I needed you today mommy and you weren't there. Sometimes I feel like I'm all alone." Quick sympathetic explanation of how I have to work and I try to find things for him to do that are fun. "That karate camp was fun" he says. "I'm not so sure about this camp. Especially the swimming". I tell him I thought he would love the swimming and that's why we picked this camp. "Does everyone need to learn to swim?" he asks. I tell him I think it's a good idea.

Only after all that do we get down to brass tacks. Seems everyone was running and jumping into the pool over the ropes. Except that when he tried he landed on the rope. He was embarassed and hurt and generally unhappy about it. So I sympathized and pulled out my best social work trained empathy which seemed to do the trick.

Luckily he was mostly recovered by the time we got home. Still, I was very happy to leave him with his father and go to dine with the best babe.

It's gonna be a long summer.