Camp America - Teenboy's Heading Stateside in June

After queueing in the freezing cold for two and a half hours outside Kensington Town Hall today Teenboy got a job in states for the summer with Camp America.
Twenty one years exactly since I was a camp counsellor at a camp in Pennsylvania, my 19 year old is going to a camp in Pennsylvania for the summer.
I was a counsellor on a camp for special needs adults, he’s going to a private performing arts camp where he’ll be doing all the videoing and editing of all the performances (and there’s quite a few of these over the summer at this camp) as well as teaching the kids how to use the equipment and make great videos.
He’s so excited, it’s lovely.
I’ve just received a text from him that read: “Love you mum. Thank you for today I’m so excited I can’t wait to go. love you xxx”
From the teenager on antidepressants and receiving counselling for PTSD at this time last year who looked like he was going to fail his a-levels and have to repeat his final year at school and was getting more depressed by the day, Teenboy, is a totally different person.
He was joy to be with today, he was so much more like the little boy he was – free, excited, happy, courageous, self confident, enthusiastic, chatty. It was so wonderful to see.
So, now he’s just got to get all the paperwork organised (might prove difficult for him as he’s not the most organised or proactive person in the world – in fact I think the word procrastination might have been created for him).
He knows what he’s got to do (including get a new passport) and I’ve got to let him get on with it and trust him to do it all within the timeframe he’s got.
But, ooooo that’s difficult to do!!
I guess it’s much like when he moved out to go to Uni and I wanted to do it all for him and I had to let go and let him fuck up (if that happened) in order for him to find his own independence.
And he did great, finding his independence has been the making of him.
I actually can’t find the words to express how happy and excited I am for him. This summer at Camp America will change his life, provide him with experienced he’ll cherish forever and bring people into his life who will be friends forever.

I have a feeling 2013 is going to be a good year – well it can’t be worse than 2012.