A few months ago, Asher and I recorded an episode about the upcoming summer camps he was getting ready for, especially Space Camp. In that episode, Asher shared how he worked with his therapist over the spring to prep for tricky situations he predicted might come up while there. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, I highly recommend you go back and check it out … you can find it here.
At the end of that episode, we promised to do a post-camp follow up so Asher could share how things went, whether or not his strategies worked, and more. So that’s what today’s episode is about… Summer Camp, Part 2. I will say that Space Camp ended up being a bit of a disappointment for Asher, and in addition to dealing with his own emotions surrounding his expectations not being met, he also felt bad because he knew so many people were rooting for him. So I’m really proud of Asher for sharing his experience for this podcast. I hope you enjoy it.
About Debbie and Asher: Debbie Reber is the founder of TiLT and the host of the TiLT Parenting Podcast. 12-year-old Asher is Debbie’s son and is regularly featured on the podcast. Find out more by visiting the About Page.
THINGS YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:
- How Space Camp went for Asher
- The unforeseen challenges for Asher at camp and how he dealt with them
- How Asher would prepare differently for camp if he could do it all over again
- The tricky balance between setting too high and too low expectations
- What it was like for Asher to be at a camp with peers who had ADHD (Eye to Eye Camp)
- How Asher coped with pre-camp anxiety and jitters
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
This created an interesting dialogue between me and my son on space camp! My son went enjoyed it some but never said much about it until yesterday during the podcast. It all made much more sense. I wasn’t asking the right questions. Our expectations were too high as well. I assumed it would be the best week of his life but he came back saying next year he wanted to do something different.
So interesting…thanks for sharing, Julie. Though I’d talked wit Asher quite a bit about camp before recording this, more info came out during our conversation. I’m glad to that this episode helped spark a conversation with your boy
This may seem like a minor point, but what was the toothpaste brand that “tastes like nothing?” I have a 6 year old who is extremely selective about what goes into his mouth, and tooth brushing is difficult because no matter what toothpaste I bring home it’s “gross.”
It’s a brand called Elmex!
It’s called ELMEX…we buy it in the Netherlands…not sure if it’s available outside of Europe?
Apparently it is! I found it on Amazon. It seems to take a while to ship, but if my little guy will use it I’ll do it. Thanks!
Oh, good! Ash prefers the one in the green tube… I think it is eucalyptus flavor? Good luck!
It is! I found it on Amazon. It seems to take a while to ship, but if my little guy will use it then it will be worth it. Thanks!