DD has gone to guide camp, for a whole week, and I miss her.

[ExitPursuedByAGryffin]

Come reassure me that she will be fine.

No mobile phones allowed so I cannot speak to her.

Chemical toilets (which they will have to empty).

No showers (they are going to make one ffs).

I thought it sounded great when I first found about it, but now I simply cannot believe that I will have no contact with her for a WHOLE WEEK.

She is 11 and my one and only PFB.

Wail.

I wouldn't worry about the "home-made" shower. She probably won't shower. Mine never do despite me begging them to have one! Just packing now for dd to go to guide camp and ds to go to explorer camp boots them out the door waves them off

Seriously, she'll have a fab time!

Eek - just had a tearful phone call from a homesick DD. Typical - I liked to think she was having a whale of a time. The guide leader said that she is enjoying herself and she is just overtired. They have persuaded her to give it until Wednesday.

I don't worry about the keeping clean - I am a great believer in a layer of grime being good for the soul!

I hope you were jolly and positive and encouraging on the phone!

If she manages to hang on it could become one of her most favourite memories. Try not to panic.

Oh yes I was Curry. I joked with her about the chemical loo emptying and the like.

I think the thing she is worrying most about is that my DH and I have planned to go to his brother's birthday party on Friday night, stay over and then drive to collect her the next morning. Before she went she kept saying that she did not want us to go, in case she needed to come home (we will be an hour further away). She asked again on the phone when we were going so I told her we wouldn't bother. Hopefully if she makes it to Friday we can go anyway and she will be none the wiser.

Well done!

I still haven't heard from my DD yet. No news is good news?

DD has just called me from Denmark! So bang goes my theory that I'll save a fortune for the next 3 weeks!

Well, since my last post, DD has phoned about 15 bloody times! Many of them in tears. I have agreed that I will collect her on Thursday. During her last call, which was about purchases in the camp shop, I pointed out to her that I cannot collect her until the evening as I am working until 5pm. I got the impression that she might just change her mind and stay until Saturday, but she keeps wailing that she is missing me! My DH says he has never had homesickness. I have, and I know how awful it is. But my first experience was when I was 17 - she is only 11. My second was when I went to college at 18 . I felt so much better after a visit from my parents. I am wondering now if I should have popped over today just to say hello . Anyway, if she has done Saturday to Thursday I will be very proud of her.

Awwww!

I bet she's only crying when she's on the phone to you, and not in between, though.

That's what I am hoping LynetteScavo! Otherwise she will be known as the camp drip.

So are you collecting today EXIT? Hope she's got over her home sickness, tbh. It'll be the making of her.

Exit I went on a week's guid camp every year from when I was 11 till when I was 15, we had such a fun time.

Yes you have to empty the loos and it is a bit grim but you are outdoors for a whole week doing loads of fun stuff, she will have a blast.

Don't worry about the no showers, we used to go swimming at the nearest leisure centre at least two or three times during the week so we could have a proper shower.

Let me tell you now she will having a fantastic time. So try not to worry and miss her too much and enjoy the week to yourself and treat yourself to some you time.

That will teach me not to read to the end, sorry to hear about her homesickness Exit, I guess 11 is quite young, I do remember being homesick on my first guidecamp and they had a parents visiting day half way through and my mum and dad and grandma came and I remember crying when they left but I had enjoyed myself so I am sure your DD will have had fun and not been homesick all the time.

I'm not expecting my dd to be homesick when she goes on Saturday. She has already completed a Mon-Fri school trip away, last september, and was fine. I think it's just that children are ready at different ages for this sort of thing. DD's friend is the one I think most likely to be homesick so dd is on "special duty" to keep an eye on her friend and give support if needed.

She still wants collecting today - I have told her we will be there at 7.30 tonight. I am secretly hoping that she will decide to stay until Saturday although she has sounded so much happier since she knew she was coming home today.

I wondered if a visiting afternoon would be a good idea whoneedssleep. Still, she will have managed 5 nights which isn't bad.

Her friends are posting on facebook about how bored they are, and I keep thinking what a fabulous experience she is having - worth every penny and all the heartache -

Aw, bless her. She's done really well. Maybe it's the camping bit that is making her miserable. Maybe roughing it, is just not for her. I know after about a week of camping, I crave a bed and getting properly clean!

No chance of my DD getting homesick on her trip! I will not be collecting her from Sweden!

It is the first time she has ever camped. She is not particularly bothered about keeping clean [grunge emoticon] but I wonder if, as an only child, it is the constant companionship that might be getting to her. Also, she has only been at guides for a year and does not really have a 'special' friend there. Quite a few of the guides are from a local school and have known each other for years (DD is at an independent). She is due to go skiing with school for 8 days in December. I am hoping that as she will be with friends that she has know for up to 7 years she will be ok. Plus she will have her phone. She seems to have been better since the guide leader has let her phone home twice a day.... Must recompense the leader in some way.

Thanks for all your support.

Did she have a good time, Exit?

I'd love to hear a report on how she's got on.

We dropped ds2 off at (choristers) camp yesterday. I'm sure he'll have the time of his life - he's been looking forward to it for months. He knows a couple of the leaders, but just one of the children.

He has taken his phone, but not his charger, so he can leave it switched off text us occasionally. I've not heard from him yet, which is a good thing, I think. They have a very packed programme and don't have time to think of home, I reckon!

I wish he hadn't taken his phone tbh. When they were away with primary school I never worried, because there was no means of contact. This time, I'm finding myself checking my phone all the time and I've texted him 4 times already!

lol! Nightmare, isn't it! DD didn't contact me yesterday and I don't know why! She's spoken to me or text me every other day! She's still got two weeks away!

If there was a problem, I'd have been contacted, but that's not the point!

Mine came home on Sarurday night - exhausted and filthy! :o

OP my DD only started Guides in September and is also the only one from her school in the pack so didn't really know anyone well. Which was kind of the whole point of her going away with them

Hi all - sorry for the late update but we have been out all weekend. I collected DD on Thursday evening. She had a great time but was ready for home. She got three badges which she was really pleased about.

After our meal on Thursday evening she got up and put all the plates in the dishwaser WITHOUT BEING ASKED. She met a girl from another guide group who is starting at her school in September which was good.

I was a bit cross as every other girl had taken their phone with them. Next time I might let DD take a spare phone so that she can ring us, but will not be contstantly texting her mates.

My only concern was that her bag was full of sodden wet clothes and stank strongly of river. I sent her with a black bin liner to put her wet stuff in, but she thought it better to just cram wet stuff in her bag, presumably getting everything else wet so she must have been wearing damp clothes for most of the week. You live and learn.

She said she would go again next year, but perhaps not for the whole week ......

Ah bless her! I would imagine that by this time next year, she'll be waving at the front door and sorry to have to come home at all!

DD (and only child too) was dreadful, when she was younger. DH and I couldn't even go out for the evening and leave her with nannie! She'd be ringing me and telling me she had a tummy ache or something, by the time I'd got home from dropping her off!

I struggle to keep her in now! It did take until Yr7 though.

Talking of DD. Her daily texts and phone calls seem to have stopped! Having far too much fun to care about M & D, I expect! Still 11 days until she's home!

I've had one text from ds2 around lunchtime today. Six words.
I deduce he's having fun, is very busy, and doesn't have time to do anything so boring as contact his mum!

my 11 yr old is off at a jamboree this week, but it's his 3rd yr of going away for a week with Cubs/scouts. His 8 yr old brother is off for his first week camp this Saturday, and can't wait, fingers crossed we won't be picking up early!