A One Child Week

IMAGE : MORGUEFILE.COM | A One Child Week

Felt a bit weird sending my sensitive and slightly teary ten year old gal off to school camp this morning. 

Funny how, although your kids can be completely different to you in so many ways, sometimes quite suddenly they display a characteristic that is exactly you, through and through. Like me as a child, these days Miss O is a bit prone to an affliction I refer to as 'pre-conceived homesickness' (feeling homesick before you've actually been anywhere) and also the 'long, sad goodbye' (a dread and sadness about saying goodbye well before departure and a feeling that the impending separation is absolutely FOREVER). That's me all over. Still is a bit and I guess as she's getting older, it's her too.

Nonetheless, she's going to have a ball at camp and she knows it. Before she left this morning she dried the tears, took a big breath, smiled and boldy said goodbye. Clearly the fear of missing out was a little stronger than the fear of being away. Thumbs up to that. 

Not only has she left for four days of total awesomeness, she's also turning eleven tomorrow and she'll be away from home on her birthday. That's a first. Birthdays are pretty huge in our house and there's many a privilege that comes with being the birthday person on their special day.  It's going to feel very strange waking up to the memory of her birth eleven years ago and not having her here to celebrate with. Anyway, that's more about me, not her. And judging by her lovely teacher's well-considered birthday plans, she will undoubtedly have an "OMG....the BEST birthday EVER!!!" (That's tween speak for 'a rather nice time'). 

As an aside, one thing I've noticed about having a one child household is that today's grocery bill was significantly lower. Man, eleven year olds can eat. Six year olds can too, but an eleven year old can empty a pantry like a high speed combine harvester.

So here's to a quieter household and a fuller pantry for a few days. Here's also to a triumphant return on Friday, feeling blissfully exhausted, with many happy tales to tell.

If your kids have been on school camp, how do they deal? Are they nervous or punching the air with excitement? How do YOU deal? (I'm asking for a friend.....)