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Sick Kid Camps and Sleepovers… What Do You Remember?
My eldest daughter had her first “happily away from home” experience with friends over the weekend (as she says, she doesn’t like being away unless she knows she’s in safe hands; and because of the pandemic, we can’t remember the last time she’s been away). And it was weird.
It made me wonder, for those of you who were sick as teenagers and remember being “away” for sleepovers or camp or even college:
When was the first time you ventured away for multiple nights as a sick kid or teen?
Did you follow treatment protocols and medical regimens while gone, or test the waters?
How responsible were you versus rebellious?
Or, if you’re a forum friend who’s a caretaker instead: How would these questions apply to your loved one? How did you handle anxiety over not being nearby to possibly look out for them?
I was sick as a teenager but didn’t know that I was (we thought I just had pneumonia all the time and a sour stomach), so I didn’t have a lot of the responsibilities and pressures that a lot of other chronically-ill kids have. I was independent fairly young (though hated sleepovers, haha), and went to college [as a day student] at 16, before becoming a mother pretty-darn-young and being 100% on my own and responsible for someone else.
So, to be honest, it’s only now that my eldest daughter is venturing away and into the world, post pandemic, that I’m having some of these thoughts and feelings. What about you?
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1 Reply
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I actually grew up going to CF camp in the summer! It was a week long, and obviously before anyone realized the risks of cross infection. It’s one of my favorite memories and I was devastated when it all ended, though I understood why. Since it was CF camp I was on top of all my treatments and meds, it was part of the ‘schedule’. While I was responsible in the care of my health, we found other ways to be rebellious!
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