Hello & Happy Tuesday!
Before I jump into my long winded story about yesterday – I just want to let my MN area friends know that I’ve got TWO LIBRARY SHOWS THIS WEEK! Today and Thursday – here are the details:
Tuesday, July 30th
Anoka County Library – Bunker Hills Activities Center
10:30 am Miss Nina
Andover, MN
Thursday, August 1st
Marine Community Library
10 am Miss Nina
Marine On Saint Croix, MN
SO – OMG – I am SO HAPPY it’s Tuesday! Yesterday was a date on the calendar that, as it approached, became fraught with tension.
Piper’s been to Kindergarten and has been attending a local Community Ed summer program for “camp” all summer – but yesterday was her first day of, like, REAL day camp. I signed her up for a week of day camp at the YMCA called “Dragons, Faires & Princesses Camp.” I mean – no brainer, right?! With a name like that, what six year old wouldn’t want to go, right?
And she’s been psyched! But me? O.M.G. About two or three weeks ago I started realizing that I would be putting her on a bus on Monday morning at 8 am – BY HERSELF. SHE DID NOT KNOW ANY OTHER KIDS SIGNED UP. I’ve been thinking about how she won’t know anyone, not even the counselors on the first day. How it’s a long bus ride (she’s the first stop to be picked up and last stop to be dropped off.) How often, at school, our goodbye goes on and on and sometimes with tears – and I was envisioning her sobbing as the bus drove off. UGH! My heart! And THEN – omg – the whole day there! I mean – I was a wreck. I spent some time asking the parents of a few kids she knows out here in our new town if they might be available and want to go with Piper this week. No luck.
Meanwhile, of course, I didn’t want ANY OF THAT to come through to Piper! I didn’t spend any time addressing MY fears to her, as she seemed to not have any. I only talked about our Monday morning schedule on Sunday night. And it was an intense one – for this week and this schedule, I have to actually wake her up by 6:30 am other than let her sleep until 7 am ish. (So yesterday I was up at our usual 5 am to get everything packed, her name in everything, lunch made, myself showered, etc….) And I had to be up and ready for a full day of work AND therefore had to drop the dog off at HIS “day camp.” Usually, that alone stressed me out. LOL! Oh man.
As you can tell from reading this – the drama was all inside of me. Piper got on the bust just fine – super excited actually – and headed off to camp. My husband and I were preoccupied all day, texting each other from work how we were about to jump out of our skin.
I eagerly met her at the bus at 5 pm – she emerged from it wearing her bathing suit, smiling from ear to ear. LOL! She had a great time. Of course she did! She came home with the schedule pictured above and is super excited about the week ahead.
I am certain I am going to have many, many, many more days like this ahead where I will have 10,000 feelings going on – 10,000 of my own fears and insecurities – that I need to just keep to myself so as not to influence her – and let her have her own feelings and experiences. And just be there for her – open and ready – for it all The good and the bad. Man – keeping all my own stuff in check might be the hardest part about parenting. Maybe. I mean – is there an easy part???!! Lol!
Also – this guy had a pretty good time at his camp, too, and got featured his Center’s Instagram Page yesterday – which totally lifted my spirts midday:
Everyone had a great day! I hope you did, too. Finding people and institutions that are so excited to see and be with your loved ones and who you trust is, like, the best thing in the world.
In honor of day camp and good times, this week I’ve got a video for you of one of my favorite songs from day camp when I was a little girl: The Doughnut Song.
Enjoy your week and I’ll see you next Tuesday in your inbox!
XOXO
Miss Nina
