On Sending My Daughter to Girls Camp

Attending Scout camp is a rite-of-passage for young men in my faith. We pack these twelve-year-old boys up and send them off for a week of tenting, horsing around, merit badge earning, and faith-building experiences. When I sent off Owen, my oldest, on his first Scout camp I hung around the church parking lot for a bit as Owen ran over to his friends, excited to go. I forced myself to drive away, leaving him in the care of good leaders who I knew would watch out for him, but feeling anxious nonetheless. I don't know that I was too worried about him feeling homesick as much as I was anxious about one of my little chicks temporarily leaving my nest.

Sending him off on future camp-outs was much easier. And then came along Evan, and sending him off on his first camp-out was almost just as anxious for me. Would he have fun? Would he get along with the others? Would he behave himself?

I thought by the time my daughter came along that this sending-kids-off-to-camp thing would be old hat.

Nope.

Bronwyn was so excited for her first Girls Camp (different from anything the boys do for Scout Camp, and nothing to do with Girl Scouts; unique in purpose and format to the LDS Church) this year that she was mostly packed two days early. She carried around her clipboard with her packing list for several days, checking things off, making notes to herself about what we needed to buy, and reminding me frequently we needed to get to the store. Her backpack was loaded, with her sleeping bag and pad buckled to the bottom,  the night before she left.

Yesterday we arrived at our church parking lot at noon and she hauled out all of the stuff she was taking and walked it right over to load up. She consented to one posed picture for me before I told her she didn't have to hang out with me while waiting to leave. Bronwyn hurried off to be with her friends while I stood around with the Mom Contingent as we all listened to final announcements, a prayer, and loading up the vans. I watched as they all drove away, feeling my heart ache.

I knew Bronwyn would have an amazing time. But I knew just as much that I was going to really miss her. One of the other moms, my good friend Erika who always seems to sense how I'm feeling, walked over and put her arm around me while I sniffled a little.

Saturday afternoon is not going to come soon enough.