My Family, My Life: Calli's Week at Princess Camp

Calli attended a summer camp this week called Princess Camp. It took place Monday through Friday from 2-4pm. If you can't tell from the name, the camp was all about the Disney Princesses. Throughout the week they played games, decorated skirts and crowns, made a bracelet, read stories and just learned about all the princesses. Calli had an absolute blast.

Unfortunately this camp was not conveniently located to our house, but it sounded like so much fun that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to send Calli to it. The age group was 3-7 year olds and at three years and one week old, she was the youngest in attendance. Every day at 1:30pm I loaded up the girls in their carseats and made the half hour drive from our house to the camp. I dropped Calli off at her camp and Serena and I would head home for an hour before going back out to pick Calli up from camp. Needless to say I logged many miles on my car, spent more than the usual amount in gas, and learned the roads to camp very well.

In the days leading up to camp, I was so excited for Calli. I couldn't wait for her to have this experience and since she loves everything princess so much, I knew she would love this opportunity. She chattered about it nonstop on the way to the first class, asking me all kinds of questions about what she was going to do. When I got the kids out of the car and walked into the classroom, I began to feel nervous. It suddenly hit me that I was leaving my little girl here to face this experience, without me. It was the first time I had left her all alone. Sure, she has been to her dance class once a week for the last year, but I am always waiting for her in the lobby the entire time. We leave her in the YMCA daycare, but we are thirty feet away using the gym. This time I was dropping her off and going home without her. As I started the drive back to my house with one empty carseat in the back, it was all I could do not to turn around and go back and sit in the parking lot waiting for her to be done. And I tell you what, if I didn't have Serena I might have done just that. You are probably thinking my feelings are a bit extreme, but understand that this is the first time I have left her on her own like this. If she hurt herself, who would be there to kiss her boo boo? If she needed to go to the bathroom, would she know to speak up to the teacher? And then of course, all the unimaginable things cross my mind; what if something terrible happens and I'm not there? I got a glimpse of what it must be like for every working mother who has to leave their children at daycare every day. It definitely makes me grateful to be able to be a stay at home mother.

I am happy to report that I made it home that day without turning around to go back to the camp. I waited the whole hour, spending some quality time alone with Serena. I was happy when it was time to go and get Calli again and realized that she must have done okay since I didn't receive a phone call from her instructor telling me otherwise. When I walked to her classroom, I got to peek through at them just finishing up for the day. They were eating their snack (pretzels and water) and someone had just spilled their water where Calli was sitting. She simply got up and told the teacher. What a grown-up little girl she was. When camp was over she was very excited to see me and I couldn't wait to hear all about her day. She bubbled over telling me about the skirt she had made and the game of hopscotch they played. I knew she had had so much fun.

Each day it got a little easier to leave her. I still felt like I was leaving a piece of myself, but I know that feeling will never change. No matter how old my kids get, they will always be a part of me. They grew in my body and were a part of me for nine months. Now they are not that way in the literal sense, but they still have my blood coursing through their veins and my heart in their hands. When you are a mother, this is just the way things are. And the more kids you have, the more pieces of you are floating around out there.

Friday came rather quickly and Calli was so excited for the tea party with Snow White. Calli had failed to mention that parents were also invited to stay, but having a sixth sense about these things, I grabbed my camera on the way out the door. Calli got to put her skirt on and the crown she had made as well when we got there. The girls drank tea (punch) and ate the cookies they had made the day before. Calli told me she had made hers for me. She specifically asked one of the teachers to write "Mommy" on her cookie. I was so touched that she would think of me like that as non of the other girls had done the same (neener neener to those other moms!!! ;)). Of course, she wanted to eat the cookie herself, but it was the thought that counted. After the tea party was over Calli received her special Princess Camp shirt, certificate and coloring page and we were officially done with her first camp. I am relieved and sad at the same time. I don't know what I will do when she goes off to kindergarten!

Calli and her friends, waiting for the tea party to start