Welcoming the newbies

The new New School class has now shown up, and for the 5th time, I was there for it. One as a newbie myself, one as an Orientation Leader, one as an RA, and now two as staff.

This is probably the hardest I've worked in all of them, and the most fun, too.

But every year, I've watched the parents and their children. There are the kinds of parents who -- even when you ask a question and make eye contact with the student -- answer the question, the kinds of parents who push their kid forward to talk, and the kinds of parents who run away -- or are pushed away, but either way, make themselves scarce.

There were those students whose parents would not leave them until after check-in was done, even if they did not speak, and there were those parents who left when told there was a separate parent check-in, prompting sighs of relief from their offspring.

That was me. With my parents around, I did not (and still barely do) talk. I shift into the mode of dependence -- not because I am dependent, but because it's easier than saying "get off my back." And when they're gone, I'm fine. I mean, I approached complete strangers this summer to talk about baseball. I can handle myself, obviously.

So what kind of parent is not always an indication of the student...

Though as one of the camp board-of-directors members said to me, "Meet the parents and it explains the child."

So true...

Good thing my parents aren't too nuts!