Oh - give me strength and lots of it!! UPDATE: page 2

[Pam]

I dropped off 14 yr. old DS at Scout Camp two hours ago. I will pick him up at 10 am on Sunday. He is doing his OA (Order of the Arrow) Ordeal this weekend. This is a peer nominated honor society of Scouts and camping.

He has to sleep outside with no tent (which he's done lots of times), not talk for around 24 hours, have limited food intake and do lots of community service projects tomorrow.

The part that's making me jumpy is that the weather forecast is calling for scattered thunderstorms tonight and all day tomorrow.

I keep hearing thunder (don't know it that's my imagination or people just slamming their car doors! ) And then my mind does extra tricky things and I think that rain in hitting the windows (but it's not).

I don't know if I can survive this weekend.......
Pam

 

[nativetxn]

{{{HUGS}}} sweetie. You must be so proud of your ds. I'm sure he will be fine, even if he gets rained on.

 

[Pam]

Thanks, Katholyn, for the hug!

Well..... at least he was well fed before I dropped him off!! I cooked him a t-bone steak, mashed potatoes, biscuits..... And he packed a couple of pairs of socks in case the rain does hit!

He earned the Wilderness Survival badge and knows how to make an emergency shelter. He was allowed to take a ground cloth, so I'm hoping for the best.

 

[glo]

I am sure he will do fine. Obviously he is highly thought of. Good luck to him, and calming PD for you....hugs

 

[swanmom]

Pam,
Just wanted you to hear from a total stranger how proud you should be of your son. My nephews, roughly the same age as your DS, do nothing .... sit around all summer playing bad video games and waiting for the world (meaning their mom) to meet their needs. Your son's experience should be a learning, character-building lesson. With all of the unmotivated, directionless teens I've seen around, yours sounds like a gem.

 

[olena]

*HUGS* to you, Pam. I'm sure he'll be fine.

Congratulations to your DS on OA. It's a great honor!

 

[Pooh93]

{{hugs}} I'm sure he will be fine! swanmom has a good point. I'd rather see kids out doing something like this instead of sitting in front of the tv or video games. Let us know how his weekend goes.

 

[Pam]

Thanks, everyone, for all of your good wishes and words!

He is a good kid - but he can park his butt in front of the XBox as well as anyone else!! He's got 84 nights on camping in since March 2000. He just finished his canoeing badge this week. He's one merit badge away from Eagle Scout and finished his Eagle Scout project (the construction of 6 benches at the Community Park) the end of July.

We had THUNDERTORMS like you would not believe last night! Thunder, tons and tons of lightning and total downpours. They started around 9 pm and lasted until around 1:00 am. We lost power for awhile. I, of course, freaked and wanted to sneak to camp and check on him. DH said that we had to trust that the Leaders knew what they were doing and that they had to get the boys under pavillions or in a building......

Today they are calling for off and on thunderstorms but so far nothing has hit. He should be out there doing some major sweating as he works. The next 23 hours are probably going to be the longest of my life! *lol*

I'll let all of you know how he makes out. This was a major goal of his - and although he was a little scared, he definitely wants that OA sash!

Thanks again, everyone, you're the greatest!
Pam

 

[Doctor P]

When I was younger, I earned both my Eagle Scout and the Vigil Honor membership in the Order of the Arrow. They and we were always very careful about checking on the ordeal and vigil candidates. I expect nothing has changed. Let us know when he gets home and how he did.

 

[bfeller]

Sounds like he is a great kid. My DD is 14, does he need a girlfriend?

 

[Serena]

LOL!!


Pam, make sure he knows that a bunch of perfect strangers are very proud of him. We wish there were more like him around.

 

[Pam]

Doctor P,
Thanks! I needed to hear that!!!! Wow - Vigil! I read where only a very slect few earn that membership in OA. Congratulations!! How old were you when you made EAgle?

bfeller,
Well - he probably needs a girlfriend - but - whenever we're out in public and some of the girls wave and come up to talk to him, his ears get all red and he stres at the ground and just mumbles. He is definitely no lady killer! He's the outdoors type (although he does love that XBox), plays the trombone and is very proud to be a Boy Scout.

Serena,
He would most likely die if he knew I was on here spilling my guts to all of you!!
Pam

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Pam congratulations to your family, a very wonderful accomplishment to be proud of.
As far as all the thunderstorms I just want to say that his OA will be memorable AND it will make for a great story for the rest of his life.

 

[Pam]

Mystery Machine,
It will make a great story for him - but it earned me about 20 more gray hairs last night!!
Pam

 

[Jennyfyar]

He will be so proud of that sash! (And he deserves to be.) Just think of the self-confidence you are building in him by letting him complete this goal. He must be a pretty neat kid.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by Pam
Mystery Machine,
It will make a great story for him - but it earned me about 20 more gray hairs last night!!
Pam

Only 20? Sounds like it's good for at least 100! I can't imagine DS doing this stuff. I want him in a warm cabin.
One of the guys in my high school class was an Eagle Scout. He's now a Colonel in the Army. When his DS was 10, his wife was sending DS off to school with an umbrella. Her husband wouldn't let him take it. What is it with men and umbrellas???? (or should I say lack of them!)

 

[shmoogrrrl]

Pam,

When I was in high school, I was in an Explorer Post that was involved with Fire and Rescue. We used to go to Boy Scout camporees and do first aid for them and twice we did an OA Ordeal. It is so funny how serious they'd take the "No talking!" thing! We'd have kids come in with all manner of cuts and injuries (don't worry! None were too serious) and they'd refuse to tell us what happened! We finally had to get a sign put outside the door of our First Aid cabin telling them that they MUST Speak once they enter through the door.

*laugh*

Kathy

 

[Pam]

Pin Wizard,
My son will go turkey hunting in a thunderstorm and actually fall asleep popeed up against a tree! And I somehow always seem to forget an umbrella!

Kathy,
Oh gee! I did have to read your post!! My son is a huge klutz - just like me! While at National Jamboree last year he fell on the obstacle course at TOAP and broke his wrist the third day there. He is always getting scrapped up!
That is too funny about the Scouts not wanting to talk and break their silence!!
The not talking part is what he was most worried about. Did you like being an Explorer Scout? My son hopes to join a Venture Scout patrol after he makes Eagle and do more canoeing and backpacking. He plans to still stay with his Boy Scout troop as well and help the new Boy Scouts on the Trail to Eagle. He wants to be a Park Ranger and the scouting program is excellent for him in that respect.
It is now after 9 pm, he should have had his feast, is allowed to talk and hopefully got his sash in the OA Ceremony.

Thanks so much to all of you! This has been a very long weekend for me! It poured again for about an hour today - but thankfully no lightning and thunder. I can't wait to hear all about his weekend - but I feel that he won't reveal very much as it's supposed to be an OA member thing. (Am I right in this, Scouters?)

 

[Liz]

Can't wait to hear how your son's weekend was Pam!

When my son did his ordeal it was last March and unseasonably cold. I mean its always a bit cold in March but it was like a low of 20 degrees. I was SICK with worry. It ended up the leaders felt it was too cold for the boys and they all slept in a cabin with a fireplace!!! I was glad he wasn't cold, but felt like he really missed out on a major part of the ordeal experience.

They worked them hard on the service project and he thought he was going to die (of course)!

Scout moms have to be a tough bunch!

 

[Pam]

Oh, Liz!! My son regularly camps in the winter - but in a tent. The coldest was on a frozen lake in New York on 14 inches on ice. The actual temp. was -2º, with wind chills of -25º.

They also have a spring ordeal and this year's was the end of April and the temp. was only 30º!

Of course it's raining again tonight. But so far no thunder or lightning.

You are so right about Scout Moms having to be tough!! Right now I have a massive bruise on one knee cap from our family project for his Family Life Merit badge. That same leg still has scars from when I fell while down at Summer Camp in July. Again, the same leg now sports massive bruising up the entire calf from taking photos of him earning his canoeing badge this week. I sort of fell in the water and mashed my leg. (I told you he gets his klutziness honestly from me!)

Pam