Camp Week

Jack had a morning baseball camp this week, Kate had an afternoon princess dance camp. Yes, that's actually what it was called. They dance and, uh, made paper crowns and wands and such.

Every day Kate and I dropped Jack off at baseball camp in the morning. We pick him up at lunch time, go home and have lunch, and then Jack and I dropped Kate off at her camp. And picked her up three hours later. It is kind of crazy.

I don't know what exactly they do at either of these things for three hours, to be honest. They're not the most reliable witnesses. Jack seems to hit a lot more home runs than it seems likely, for instance. But I know they practiced hitting and sliding and throwing and catching, and he always seemed happy at the end, like after a baseball practice. So that's good.

Kate made a new friend every day, who she announced as I picked her up that she wanted to have a playdate with. First day it was "Summer," next day it was some other girl. I really can't keep them straight in my mind. But she was also always happy at pickup.

Camps remind me that kids need more than parents alone during those summer months. Me trying to work and entertain is not effective, they get bored playing on their own or with their toys and books. So, it's good to remind them what school is like -- running around in the company of other kids their age -- before they go back to school.

Still, today I picked up Jack from camp and took him to a baseball game. The Mets lost, shocker, but we had fun anyway. Ate a hotdog, inhaled ice cream as it melted ("I like it more when it's melted," Jack announced, face dripping ice cream), cheered the occasional exciting moments (the Mets didn't score, so this time it was Mr. Met shooting T-shirts into the stands, one of which I nearly caught, that was about as exciting as it got).

But it was a nice day, and it was baseball, and it was a reminder that even if summer is coming to an end, it needs to be enjoyed while you have it. And it can also be looked forward to, like Kate's playdate with Summer, since it should happen at some point in the future, too.