I Love You, Now Go

Yesterday I realized that "Daughter" is moving away from being a little kid, and I am moving toward becoming obsolete. To my and "Wife's" chagrin, our little girl is starting to need us less and less. If this sounds overly dramatic, well I have a flair for that type of thing.

Yesterday was the first day of camp for "Daughter". This has been a rough day for all of us in the past. Maybe not as rough for me because "Daughter" going to camp means that "Wife" and I have a week to ourselves. We can go to dinner without having to worry about a kid's menu, we can see movies that don't involve talking cars or family friendly ratings and I don't have to hear any Disney Channel shows blasting from the family room. It's not that I don't miss "Daughter" when she's gone, I do, but let's face it, the old saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" came about for a reason. I'm sure the feeling is mutual. "Daughter" misses us, but she loves going to camp.

I admire "Daughter". Since she was only six, she has been going to Girl Scout camp. A lot of people gave us a hard time about this. They couldn't believe we were sending our little princess away to sleep with the mountain lions and raccoons without a phone, iPod, or dart gun. The first year, "Daughter" went with a friend. That girl cried the whole week. This drove "Daughter" nuts. She couldn't understand why someone would waste their whole week whining and crying. Way to go. Needless to say, the next year,Weepy didn't want to go to camp, and no other friend of "Daughter's" wanted to endure a week of camp inspired fun. We told "Daughter" that if she really wanted to go to camp, she would have to go alone. It was the first time we had given her the responsibility of making that big a choice. She decided to go to camp not knowing a soul. She made friends quickly, and has been going on her own ever since. I can barely go to the grocery store without my posse, so this kind of confidence is inspiring.

We got to camp yesterday and everything was going smoothly. We got "Daughter" checked in and went to her campsite. It was right out of a Civil War movie. Big canvas tents with four cots in each. Each cot was covered with mosquito netting to keep the campers and their blood connected. There were port-a-pottys and a fire pit. It was very rustic. It almost made me want to go camping, but then I started sweating and couldn't wait to get back to the A/C in the car. "Daughter" met her tent mates and they all started talking. "Wife" and I wanted to get a couple of pictures, and when we asked, "Daughter" rolled her eyes a little. I knew at that moment that we had become the goofy parents that were embarrassing their kid.

I thought, no hoped a little, that "Daughter" would seem a little sad when we were saying good bye. She rushed us out like we were an ugly girl after a one night stand. We got a quick hug, a mumbled "I love you" and then she was gone, off an a great adventure that we would only get sketchy details of later on. I guess that's what all parents work for. You want your child to be able to function in the world. You don't want them so dependent on you that they are afraid to go off on their own. Those are good things. Couldn't she have just looked over her shoulder one time? Later...Brian