"The Bon" Teens are good kids!

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
"The Bon" Teens are good kids!
13
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 4:36pm

My DH and I always host a bonfire for our youth in the fall. This year it was to be an exceptionally big fire b/c we had a few storms in the spring and the pile just kept growing. So the kids were really excited. When DH called Sunday am for the fire permit, he was told no - too windy. I told the youth we couldn't have the bonfire but that we would just cookout instead. I expected disappointed but the clown in the group immediately dubbed the event "the bon" (bonfire w/o fire) and everyone was good.

Anyway, our bon went great. We had 13 kids and 5 chaperones (counting us and the bus driver). They played a game called "I'm Quackers" that I found on egadideas.com (great Web site for youth and children's ideas) and they played football. We made the guys play with one hand behind their backs as a reminder that they are bigger than our girls. They had a ball.

When it got dark, DH grilled and they all came inside to eat. After food, we went back out and they laid down in the grass in a big circle and closed their eyes and listened while I read Psalm 148. Each person in the circle was then asked to give praise to God for one thing. Then they opened their eyes and saw the most beautiful starfilled sky that God could have given us. There were even a couple of shooting stars reported. It was a very simple devotion but I think it was a perfect close to a wonderful evening.

Most of the kids are very intimidated by DH but I've been telling them how difficult it is for him having DD gone. As they were loading up on the bus, a couple of the girls very shyly stopped and hugged DH and told him thanks. One of those girls has been in some minor trouble the past few weeks and I've spent alot of time listening to her mom - I was so proud of that girl. She was very nervous but put DH's sadness first. She realized that all night long he was wishing DD was there with them. That moment alone made all the brownie crumbs and grass and mud on my living room and kitchen floors worth it.

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Avatar for suzyk2118
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-30-1997
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 4:47pm

Sounds like a wonderful outing!

And your 'bon' made me smile; when I was in grad school and in my boyfriend's church group's trip to Canada to fish (he didn't go), we had the 'out' as there were no 'houses' but there was a cylindrical metal ring with a toilet seat on it, so we'd warn each other that we were going to the 'out' so we'd have 'privacy'.

Sue

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 5:39pm

Lea,
How beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Interesting that dh misses dd so much...are they not the two that always "butted heads"? What does she say? Does she miss him too?

Marie

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 6:10pm

An "out" doesn't sound near as much fun as a "bon"!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 6:15pm

DD rotates her head butting between the two of us - she is a non-discriminatory head butter! Oldest DD has major problems with her dad and rarely speaks to him. She tries every now and then and he tries occassionally but it just doesn't work. He misses her as well but as long as youngest DD was home, he had a real good distraction!

She calls him almost everyday either during his lunch break or before his bedtime. She calls me during the day when she knows my work is slow. Some days it's actually several times a day just depending on homesick she is or how stressed she over school work or all the accidents that have happened here. I think she is starting to settle in though b/c she down to an average of two calls a day for me and one a day for DH. It's sort of odd - we as parents should feel good if our college students don't call home a whole lot b/c it indicates that they are probably doing well and don't need us but we as parents need to be needed!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 6:23pm

Sounds like a really wonderful evening for everyone, Lia. Those kids are very lucky to have you as part of their lives -- I hope they realize it!

Thanks for sharing.

Julie

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
Tue, 10-24-2006 - 3:05pm
Thank you but I am the lucky one. Teaching is the best way to learn. Teaching them is helping me so much in ways that I never imagined. I wonder sometimes how I would have made it through the beginnings of "empty nest" w/o these kids.
Avatar for heartsandroses2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 10-24-2006 - 5:18pm

That sounds like a lot of fun! We have a fire each Halloween night and all the teens on our block stop by, but it's mostly H, my dds', thier friends and me. We play some games, have a wood chopping contest (men only) and I make snacks and have hot cider on hand. We make a trail with small pumpkins leading to the firepit for all the trick or treaters. It's actually kind of cool and we have a lot of fun.

It sounds like you have a nice bunch of kids.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
Tue, 10-24-2006 - 6:12pm
You just brought to mind a wonderful memory from my childhood - thank you. My parents' best friends would bring out the iron stew pot and set it up in their front yard and make hot chocolate. Ms. C would dress up in a witches costume and Mr. A would put on a vampire suit. We would drive clear across town to get some witches' brew!! It was so much fun!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-14-2000
Tue, 10-24-2006 - 6:20pm
Sounds like a great time was had by all!
Pam
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-13-2004
Wed, 10-25-2006 - 1:26am
What a great post and a touching story.

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