Keeping It Fair: Take 8,085

So, this is something that I deal with all the time. 8,085 times, you ask? Sure. Took the approximate number of days that I have been the mom of more than one child and multiplied it by 7: the average of times a day that I have to think about whether my little darlings are getting fair and equal treatment. It's probably more than that, but I'm not counting those little things like when Bear's cookie is 1/4" bigger in diameter than Monkey's.

Monkey went to camp last week and will continue this week. Camp for preschoolers, starting at age 3. He went last year. Yes, I sent my 3.5 year old to camp. In the woods. For four hours a day. And he loved it. This year, he's in sports camp.

Bear is 3...why isn't he there, too? Well, because he is a young 3. Not fully potty-trained(probably enough to be able to fool the camp counselors...but still, I'd feel guilty about that).

And, he has yet to learn how to curb that urge to run.
Run to see the playground.
Run to play in the creek.
Run to the woods to play his own personal game of hide-and-seek.
Run to do whatever it is that catches his attention at that exact moment and not really get the whole needing-to-stay-with-the-group thing or even the come-back-when-my-name-is-called thing.

Sooooo, he'll go next year.

Still.
I feel guilty.

Big bro' is in sports camp, doing all the things that Bear loves: soccer, t-ball, gymnastics, swimming. He doesn't understand why he can't stay at camp.

So, it's yet another game of trying to keep it fair.
Mission: Impossible.

Trying to do fun things with Bear during the week to make up for it. (Btw, Cub is dragged to all of this and doesn't care- but he's only 14 months, so it's not a concern...yet.)

Went to playgrounds, the splash pad, and the "cookie store", but also had to go to the dmv, the grocery store, and other not-fun errands.

Thought that it would be a great idea to take Bear and Cub to the zoo one day. Bear loves animals, but is often forced back into the double stroller or at least on his backpack/leash contraption in the interest of being able to leave the zoo with the same number of boys with which I arrived.

This would be his chance to be able to walk, see whatever animals he wanted, and have a special day, while Monkey was at camp doing all of Bear's favorite things: swimming, soccer, and hiking in the woods.

But.
We go to leave that morning and Hubs asks me what the littles and I will be doing while Monkey is at camp.

I tell him that we are going to the zoo.

His reaction?

"Poor Monkey!"

What?????

Poor Monkey?
Who gets to be at camp, having fun?

I felt like banging my head against a wall.
It's official.
I can't win.

At least, next summer, both Monkey and Bear can go to camp.
And I can hope, that as a young 2, Cub still won't mind that he's not able to go yet.
What are the odds of that?