Ohhhh, My Mama Heart

Just about broke it today.

The Girl left this morning for Bible Camp for the very first time. We've definitely been separated for this long before, but she's always been under the watchful eye of Grandma, so I sorta shrugged and yelled, "have a great time!" as I waltzed out the door.

This is entirely different. Now she needs to do so much by herself and for herself - sunscreen, bug spray, drinking enough water, eating her veggies...

...comforting herself (gulp - Mom Teddy, you'd better step up on this one).

Little Miss Independent has been bursting with excitement all week. This morning, she was still pretty pumped as we were waiting for her to be picked up:

But then those buses arrived. And all those kids started swarming. And she looked down at that big suitcase filled with enough clothes for Six. Whole. Days. And she looked up at me with wide, pleading eyes.

"Mom, I don't think I want to go to camp anymore. Can you take me home?"

GAH!!!

Holding my own tears back, I reassured her that all would be well and reminded her that Mom Teddy was always with her and that she has her church friend along who will be both bus buddy and cabin mate and that she'd have a great counsellor and super fun with all the crafts and activities.

So she gulped and nodded and put on her Brave Little Toaster face and marched right up to the bus attendant to give her name.

After which we had twenty minutes to chat through the open bus window waiting for the less timely parents and kids to slooooowly make it to the bus pickup area.

Super parenting fun time, thy name is standing vigil beside a girl who doesn't want to go to camp and is melting in triple-digit heat inside a schoolbus:

Let's get a closer look at that face brimming with excitement, shall we?

Sigh. She'll love it, I know. There's already FB pics up of her and her cabinmates and she's looking decidedly more cheerful. (Aside: Camp was definitely not as techsavvy in my day. The only way my parents knew I hadn't died on the way was when the phone call from the director didn't come.)

Now I just have to work at being a Brave Little Toaster myself. Saturday will be here before I know it - right?