This is my life...

So, this summer has been tough. I've had great time being a counselor with the kids, but outside of time with the kids, it's been a pretty tough summer. We have shifts here, and I only work until three and my partner comes on after me. He's worked here before, and known for having an ego problem. This is type of personality is one that mine clashes with greatly. I can get over that easily, but he thinks of himself as second in command to Kirk (our head counselor). I wouldn't have a huge problem with if he wouldn't be on my back about every little thing I do.
Not only that, he's much more in my face and it's all my fault than Kirk is about things. Kirk has never actually talked to me about something I've done, Taylor has gotten on to me once day on average. Only once was actually justifiable. Last night, we had this conversation that was the last straw:

Him: Why didn't you take their snacks? (he has assumed I failed to do my job before, once even testing my alibi in front of me)
Me: I did, they're in my drawer by my bed
Him: Then why did a kid have gushers?
Me: I don't know, maybe he forgot to put them back after free time
Him: He said you only took half. Take care of it tomorrow
Me (remembering what he was talking about): He wanted to keep them, and so I let him keep them. I thought he was going to eat them all, and then assumed he did when he didn't bring them back.
Him: You can't just assume, you have to know. He was eating them at 8:45.
My thoughts: You're really texting me about the fact that a kid had gushers at 8:45!?! I DON'T CARE THAT A KID HAD GUSHERS AT 8:45! That's not even "causally mention that happened" worthy.

I went to Kirk as soon as I could this morning, and flat out told him "I can't work with him four more days", and showed him the text messages on my phone. His response was basically the way he handled that is completely un-called for. He's needs to definitely be nicer and quit being a _____, he's even (making me angry). I'll talk to him, and you just try to avoid him as much as possible.

Just prayers for me to make it the next four days.

Praying for you

Some times when people talk crazy to you, you must talk crazy back, throw them off their game.

When he says something like that just spout off something completely random.

Such as "You wanna know gushers, come sit in the stall next to me after I have tacos and bacon for breakfast. Be sure to bring a gas mask or air freshener with you."

In most cases, it makes the OTHER person question the conversation and very uncomfortable.

Of course you want to be careful if the other person has the ability to fire you, but, if not....IF you just completely say something off the wall without crossing lines. He will limit what he says to you.

Or, you could do the productive method and maybe find out what it is about his life that makes him such a stickler for rules instead of making federal cases out of small issues.

Usually people that "have to control everything" have a chaotic personal life and NEED to control what they can to give them peace that at least they control something. (Of course, there ARE some people that are just control freaks)

I find it odd that a camp that makes adults stand in a shower room with little kids has such an issue about late night snacks to be honest. Something isn't right about the place you are at.

Will pray.

Toro wrote:

Some times when people talk crazy to you, you must talk crazy back, throw them off their game.

When he says something like that just spout off something completely random.

Such as "You wanna know gushers, come sit in the stall next to me after I have tacos and bacon for breakfast. Be sure to bring a gas mask or air freshener with you."

In most cases, it makes the OTHER person question the conversation and very uncomfortable.

Of course you want to be careful if the other person has the ability to fire you, but, if not....IF you just completely say something off the wall without crossing lines. He will limit what he says to you.

Or, you could do the productive method and maybe find out what it is about his life that makes him such a stickler for rules instead of making federal cases out of small issues.

Usually people that "have to control everything" have a chaotic personal life and NEED to control what they can to give them peace that at least they control something. (Of course, there ARE some people that are just control freaks)

I find it odd that a camp that makes adults stand in a shower room with little kids has such an issue about late night snacks to be honest. Something isn't right about the place you are at.

Will pray.

haha. I think he's just a power-hungry person. People have said that if he is head counselor next year, we should watch ourselves cause the power would get to his head. Taylor can't fire me, Kirk probably could if he wanted to fire me, but Kirk and I are cool so yeah.

No, Kirk didn't care about the fact the kid had gushers, he didn't even mention it after reading the text message conversation...that was just Taylor being Taylor.

The issue with the camp is that the are SUPER PARANOID about being sued because ACU is really sensitive about money. To quote another counselor about wearing just a towel after showering "that's a lawsuit waiting to happen." Also, the girls on the leadership team are someone who is about to be a teacher and then a girl who kind of a control freak and described 1-3 graders as "little babies". I feel like those two overpower the two guys who have much more laid-back personalities. Since our director's first year here, they're for all intents and purposes...running the camp. Plus, there's the dangerous mentality that all of the returning staff of "We do it this way because we've always done it like this." The very first full day of camp, we were fifteen minutes late to something and I knew exactly the problem, and I suggested a solution that now we actually do.

This turned out to be longer than I anticipated. Anyway, I'm thinking about applying for the leadership team next year. I am the ONLY person on staff who has experience being on staff at another camp. I see things from a completely different angle than everyone else. There are a lot of things that we do that I'm just think "that's a terrible way to do that."

I admire what you do, Matt.

*Moved to the General Discussion Forum*