DD is 8, Year 4. She’s ND (Not ASD/Autism though).
She is very very excited to go on her first camp. It’s 2 days Friday to Sunday next weekend (18th-20th Nov) but I’m only sending her for the second night just for this one (several other parents are only sending for 1 of the 2 nights as well) to see how she manages.
DD is terrified of the dark, think having to sleep with her door open, landing light on, a nightlight in her room, a torch on her bedside table and still waking up in the night crying if it’s too dark. I changed her room to the front and don’t close her curtains as there’s a street lamp outside her window that shines in. She used to sleep with the light on in her room as well as the landing light on she was that scared of the dark, I put a stop to that when she spent most of the summer holidays waiting for it to be dark enough for her light to be on and not getting much sleep (as she still wakes at 6am whether it’s dark or not). She can’t tell me what she’s scared of.
She sleeps at her dads EOWend so I’m not worried about her coping without me, but she’s similar there about the dark, and insists ExHs dog sleeps outside her door so she feels safer in the dark – we don’t have pets or I think she’d want them in/near her room at home.
I also explicitly trust her leaders, they’ve been extremely accommodating of her NDs and she always comes home from Brownies happy and chatty. Brown Owl and the District Commissioner organised a meeting with me when the camp was announced, they were both very enthusiastic and where trying to do everything to persuade me to send DD for the full weekend.
They’ve said they’ll leave a light on, they’re sleeping indoors and she can take her own blankets, teddies and whatever she needs to feel comfortable including her torch. But it will be dark as it’s a rural community hall they’re sleeping in, surrounded by trees and fields.
It’s only 10 minutes’ drive away if she really can’t manage I can be there to get her and BO thinks it might be just what she needs to get over the fear of the dark, but I’m extremely nervous.
Tell me it’ll be ok? She’s really really excited, like counting down to it excited so I’m so hoping it goes well for her and doesn’t leave her terrified.
She’s due to do a residential with school next year (Year 5) so this’ll be a good practice for her, so I really hope it goes well.