So, she did it. My daughter. She went to sleep away camp. I’ll
hold off on confirming that it’s a roaring success, because she just left today…
but I’m confident that I will be saying just that on Friday when I pick her up
at the end.
Last year, when I broached the idea of a one week sleep away
camp, she told me NO in no uncertain terms. She wasn’t ready. This year, when
we revisited the idea, she jumped enthusiastically at the idea. She was ready. Yay!
I took the hint. I signed her up. As it was still winter, we
waited. We talked about it from time to time and she became increasingly excited.
When she expressed concern about the unfamiliarity of the camp, we signed up
for a mother/daughter weekend to get acquainted. Together, we attended an overnight
at the camp. We went swimming. We ate in the dining hall. We saw the sleeping
quarters. We enjoyed an art project. More importantly, we got our “What if”
questions answered, replacing them with simple and reasonable solutions. Concerns
disappeared. Yay again.
Then summer arrived. I attacked the shopping/packing list
and we packed the final stage together. She wasn’t nervous. She was EXCITED!
And then it was the day before departure.
She had been asking me, for ages, to dye her hair a cool
color like bright pink. I had agreed, but life logistics had competed with
following through. In light of her camp departure, I suggested that we do it
before camp. She loved the idea and we spent a few hours dying a chunk of hair
pink. She was thrilled with the results. She wore it proudly.
We are not a family who co-sleeps or stays with our kids
until they are asleep. We leave them, awake, and they fall asleep on their own.
The night before departure, however, she was WIRED. And I do mean wired. She was
nervous. Finally… it’s hit her. She’s going to camp and there’s no way she’s
falling asleep on her own.
I crawl into bed with her and rub her back, intending to
leave after a short time, but she disagreed. She decided that our house has a
new rule. The night before week long sleep away camp, mommies fall asleep with
their kids. And since it was a new rule, I obliged. We cuddled and fell asleep.
When I woke up a few hours later, she was snoring and dreaming. I left and she
didn’t notice.
Today, she got on that bus with a smile. When we arrived at
the location, she helped haul her stuff with no fuss. She cooperated with the
lice check. I had to grab her for a goodbye hug and kiss. Then she was off.
And yes, that is when I started to cry. She boarded that big
bus with dark windows and it sat there as the check in line dwindled to
nothing. I couldn’t see her, couldn’t touch her, but she was there. Just out of
my reach. Already gone but still right there.
She’s gonna do great. I know this. But I’m gonna miss her.
