Mom Fails

Fail is a four letter word ;)

Although we all start out with the best of intentions and we truly only want what is best for our children it doesn’t always work out that way, because we are human. The eighteenth century English poet Alexander Pope said it best, “ To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Hopefully my child is in touch with her divinity because I’ve had to ask for forgiveness more than a few times already. This is a nonjudgmental space where I hope other moms will feel comfortable sharing their missteps through mommyhood. Because after all some of these mistakes are down right hilarious and need to be shared with others. Having said all that, let me be the first to share.  

Today was the first day of my daughter, Alexandra's, summer camp. This summer camp program was set up through the school, and I had received a few different emails including information regarding the camp. Her friends' moms and I were on a text thread discussing who would attend camp this year. We were all getting very excited as the first day of camp neared and we couldn’t wait for the kids to have a fun filled summer of crafts, karaoke, talent shows, and waterslides. So today was the big day! I got Alexandra packed with her bag filled with her bathing suit, water shoes, a towel, two snacks, and a lunch. We hopped in the car and headed off to camp. On the way we talked about all the fun she would have with her friends and that I couldn’t wait to hear about it when it was done. As we pulled up on the school campus we both got butterflies in our stomach as to what the day had in store. I gave her a kiss and she hopped out of the car and was escorted into the school by one of the junior counselors. I drove away feeling very content and very nostalgic of my own days at camp. When the day was over I waited in the carpool line until one of the teachers escorted Alexandra to the car. When Alexandra got in the car and got buckled in the car seat I noticed she was a little quieter than usual. As we drove away I said, “Honey what’s wrong, didn’t you have a great day at camp?” She said, “It was okay I guess.” I said, “Didn’t you swim and do crafts and sing and dance?” She said, “No mom, we did math and writing and reading and learned about a few different countries around the world. I don’t think I want to go back to camp tomorrow.” As you can imagine I was a bit perplexed. Upon returning home, I sent an email to one of the school's faculty members asking why what they had advertised on the school camp flyer was not what the kids were actually doing. When she got back to me she assured me that they were in fact doing the activities that the flyer mentioned. And upon further review she realized that I had actually signed up Alexandra for summer school NOT summer camp. So, while all of the other kids were out frolicking and playing in the school yard, Alexandra was stuck in a classroom wondering when the fun was going to start. EPIC MOM FAIL.