Monday, June 25, 2012

Camp Deep Creek - June 22nd - Week 1

I feel fortunate to have a found a community of stellar parents since moving to Missoula a few years ago. They are vibrant, passionate, talented people who are raising children with love and laughter and creativity.  Sure, raising kids can be tough and often entire days, weeks and months have their unique struggles, but in those times a support network of parents has it's greatest advantages.  It is nice to know that most struggles are universal and that we all get through them in one way or another.  We bitch, we listen, we share ideas and help when we can.
One of the most rewarding aspect of being a parent is that we get to share those things that we love with our children and hope that our passions might in some way ignite interests of their own.  Whether it is walking in the woods, drifting down the river, growing a garden, baking bread, curling up with a good book, creating music, or simply spending time with friends we want our children to discover those little things that give our daily lifes fulfillment. It might just be this desire that led some of the moms (and dads) to band together and create Camp Deep Creek.  

For our first camp we went on a wild flower walk.  Sylvan insisted on walking the whole way and gleefully pulled the flowers off of their plants.  


While the two of us dawdled behind,  Ivory was, often lost to me, some where ahead on the trail with another parent.   Those parents that knew names of plants offering the information to the rest of us, while some of us new to the area, were disappointed to find out that those pretty little flowering plants that magically appear in our flower beds every spring are actually unwelcome invasive species.  After our walk we gathered on blankets for a picnic lunch. 


Then we tucked our flowers and leaves in between pages of newspaper in neat little stacks to be pressed. 




We all drove home with our flower presses tied up tight, to be opened and plants identified at a later time.

For me, Camp Deep Creek  is filled with fun and friends, but is also in a way an admission that as a parent I'm not wonderful at everything and that I am willing enough to admit my short comings and surround my children and myself with other adults that can teach us the skills we might be lacking.

5 comments:

  1. Very sweet. Grandma

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  2. sounds like a very fun day!

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  3. Great post, Heidi. And I share your sentiments - it is such a treat to be part of the Camp Deep Creek family.

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  4. Loved your post, Heidi, and I love all you wonderful mamas who help keep me sane and smiling!

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