The Boo went off to summer camp for TWO WHOLE WEEKS today! She has never been away from home for more than one night. She is handling it in a very mature and excited fashion.
I, on the other hand, am a nervous wreck. My little baby has grown up and is spreading her wings. Things will never be the same again...
Of course, I knew it was coming. For the last two years, since the Boo was in middle school, there have been lots of signs that this was coming. I had to walk several steps behind her at the mall so it didn't look like we were together. She was usually embarassed to be seen with me at school. She started saying things like, "Oh, Mother!" and "I don't want you to do that anymore" in an exasperated and disgusted tone of voice. She'd roll her eyes when I would say just about anything. And she would frequently respond to my attempts to console her when she was upset at something with, "you just don't understant!"
I think I managed to convey how excited I was for her to be going away and what a wonderful time she was going to have: swimming, horseback riding, water-skiing and doing lots and lots of fun things with her friends. I managed to be enthusiastic when she decided to pack for herself and requested that I trust her to get everything ready on her own. At the last minute, she decided to take her favorite blankie--the one that she's had since she was born and which she sleeps with every night, but had been considering leaving behind for the two weeks.
She gave me and her father a quick hug and a smile as she got into the car that would drive her 450 miles away. I smiled brightly back and waved until the car was out of sight. Then I went in the house and cried for a long time.
No comments:
Post a Comment