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I let my son join
his Boy Scout annual camp out for one week from August 1st to
August 7th in Central California near Sequoia National Park.
That was the first time I let him go camping with his fellow scouts
without me.
I remember my
feeling on the first night without him at home. I counted how many days
until he comes back and I already missed him. I began to wonder how he
would handle the situation by himself. Will he remember to spray the
mosquito repellence and put on sun lotion before the hike? Will he
remember to cover himself after a swim in the lake? Will he remember to
clean up himself daily? Will he remember to do his morning routine? There are scheduled activities with
other Boy Scout troops. He has to work for his Merit Badges. He also has
to pass a swimming test before he can join any water related activities.
I wonder if he is mature enough to do all these tasks by himself.
My son was going
to an organized camp with his fellow scouts and with close supervision
from the troops leaders; yet, I was still worried. I suddenly remember
the day in the summer of 1979 when I left my home to get ready for the
big voyage to Hong Kong. I was so
excited about the trip that I totally ignored my father feeling after I
left home. His worry about my safety was probably 100 times, to say the
least, compared to my “worry” about my son week long camping. Thirty one
years later, I finally realize the feeling of a father having a son going
away from home. It is a bit late, but it is better late than never.
Dennis
Phan 潘家墉
笔于美國,加利福尼亞州, 洛杉磯 2010.08.25
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