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Our older son, Eric, left for camp on Saturday.  He is 11 and this is the first time he has been away at an actual camp.  Sure it's only for a week and I do know that we have been apart for longer periods of time in the past.  But this is not the same.  This is way, way different.  He isn't at a friends house or it's not us who are the ones that are gone (as it is when his father and I go on a lil' vacation trip).  He is the one who is away from home.  He is the one who is at a place where we can't call him whenever we want and we cant go and visit whenever we want.  He is the one who is on an island that is only reachable by a ferry that stops running at 8pm.  I admit, it was me who's idea this was and I am the one who signed him up.  He was sorta reluctant to go at first.  I understood that.  I mean, he wouldn't know anyone at first.  Him going showed that he was starting to grow up and be more independent (something that all parents hope for their kids but can also be a heartache in a way).  Our lil' boy was not so lil' anymore.  We made the drive down to Long Beach so he could catch the boat that was going to take him to the Catalina Junior Sea Camp.  Oh, we knew he would have a blast and he did too.  Waiting an hour or so for them to start boarding seemed to last forever.  At first I was so glad that he was getting out of the house, away from the computer and his silly World of Warcraft game.   But after a bit I started to ask  myself what I was doing.  I was sending him to a place where he didn't know anyone.  I know if it was me I would be so scared and probably would have refused to go period.  I wondered if he really didn't want to go.  If he would have looked me in the eye and said he didn't want to go and beg me to take him home then I would have wrapped my arms around him and told him to run to the car.  He never did that.  Instead he acted like he was too old to hang with mom and dad, too old to let us give him too many hugs, and too old to allow us to show him how much we were going to worry about him.  I know he is safe and I know he has made friends and I know that this was a good choice by us as his parents.  He knows that we care about him and that we are so very proud of him and that we will miss him until he returns.   He also knows that his lil' brother, James, will be right here waiting for him when he gets home (as he always is).