Returning from the Wilderness
I haven't written any blog posts for awhile, because I was in the wilderness. It was funny. The other day, a family member was asking me my opinion on all kinds of things that have happened in the past few weeks in the political world. I had to respond with, "I have no idea. I have spent the past few weeks consumed by hemophilia camps." Not that I mind. I love kids, and I love my bleeder girls at camp. Being director is hard. Did you know that? But I had a great time, and I had a great staff this year. Staff really makes or breaks your experience as the director.
Then, this year, I doubled my hemophilia camp experience. Since I live in Utah, the Utah hemophilia camp asked if I wanted to come and help them out this year. I did. I don't regret that, and now I have bleeder boys to add to my list of beloved kids. So, now I love my bleeder boys and my bleeder girls. I really am defensive of these children. One day at camp, I was with one of my staff across the camp, when we saw a man we'd never seen walking up to the cabin area. It turned out to be a maintenance person, but when I saw him, my staff said, "Who is that?" My response, "I don't know, but I want him to get the heck away from my girls."
Main differences between boys and girls (though there are exceptions on both sides):
1. Summing it all up as at the end of camp with girls, I am sleep deprived. At the end of camp with boys, I am sore. Part of this might be that I didn't sleep with the boys in their cabin, but the male co-counselors that did weren't really that sleep deprived.
2. Bleeder-specific: Girl trips while playing soccer. "I shouldn't be doing this. I need to go see the nurse." "Did you hurt yourself? Is it throbbing? Is it tingling?" "No I just think I shouldn't be playing like this. I have a bleeding disorder, you know?" Boy gets hit in the face with a ball, gets nosebleed. We get it to stop. "Okay, I'm going back in." "Dude, we just got the blood to stop pouring down your face. Chill out for just a second, okay?" "No, it stopped. I'm good."
3. Before girls can like you, they have to hate you first. The boys were a little wary of my girl-ness at first, but warmed up to me. By the end of camp, I had been declared free of cooties. I was deemed "cool," and therefore, they had decided to decootify me. Let it be known that I no longer have girl cooties. But girls...yeah.
4. When girls go home, they cry and hug and stuff. With the boys, I got one hug.
5. Me specific: I get boys better than I get girls.
6. Girls are boy-crazy. Boys are girl-afraid.
7. You lay down the law with girls, and they give you dirty looks. You lay down the law with boys, and they immediately obey. I always tell my staff to save the loud, "Do not mess with me," voice. The only time I had to use it with the boys was in front of several other cabins, and they all went silent and one even said, "Dude, your counselor is mad." After what I said to do was done, I smiled and said, "Nope. Just serious." The girls would have done it too, but there would have been under-the-breath complaining the entire time.
In the end, I love both groups equally, but differently. I was also reminded why, as a child, I liked boys better than girls. Fun weeks all around.
Then, this year, I doubled my hemophilia camp experience. Since I live in Utah, the Utah hemophilia camp asked if I wanted to come and help them out this year. I did. I don't regret that, and now I have bleeder boys to add to my list of beloved kids. So, now I love my bleeder boys and my bleeder girls. I really am defensive of these children. One day at camp, I was with one of my staff across the camp, when we saw a man we'd never seen walking up to the cabin area. It turned out to be a maintenance person, but when I saw him, my staff said, "Who is that?" My response, "I don't know, but I want him to get the heck away from my girls."
Main differences between boys and girls (though there are exceptions on both sides):
1. Summing it all up as at the end of camp with girls, I am sleep deprived. At the end of camp with boys, I am sore. Part of this might be that I didn't sleep with the boys in their cabin, but the male co-counselors that did weren't really that sleep deprived.
2. Bleeder-specific: Girl trips while playing soccer. "I shouldn't be doing this. I need to go see the nurse." "Did you hurt yourself? Is it throbbing? Is it tingling?" "No I just think I shouldn't be playing like this. I have a bleeding disorder, you know?" Boy gets hit in the face with a ball, gets nosebleed. We get it to stop. "Okay, I'm going back in." "Dude, we just got the blood to stop pouring down your face. Chill out for just a second, okay?" "No, it stopped. I'm good."
3. Before girls can like you, they have to hate you first. The boys were a little wary of my girl-ness at first, but warmed up to me. By the end of camp, I had been declared free of cooties. I was deemed "cool," and therefore, they had decided to decootify me. Let it be known that I no longer have girl cooties. But girls...yeah.
4. When girls go home, they cry and hug and stuff. With the boys, I got one hug.
5. Me specific: I get boys better than I get girls.
6. Girls are boy-crazy. Boys are girl-afraid.
7. You lay down the law with girls, and they give you dirty looks. You lay down the law with boys, and they immediately obey. I always tell my staff to save the loud, "Do not mess with me," voice. The only time I had to use it with the boys was in front of several other cabins, and they all went silent and one even said, "Dude, your counselor is mad." After what I said to do was done, I smiled and said, "Nope. Just serious." The girls would have done it too, but there would have been under-the-breath complaining the entire time.
In the end, I love both groups equally, but differently. I was also reminded why, as a child, I liked boys better than girls. Fun weeks all around.
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