Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah - Two more weeks at Camp Granada? Please?!

We could hardly believe two weeks had gone by as it was time to retrieve Emma from camp yesterday. In years past, I have started to really miss her and get that achey longing feeling in the pit of my stomach, but this year (her 6th) I managed to get through her absence fairly unscathed. I figured I was finally used to it and since I was so busy, the time had flown by as quickly for me as it surely had for her. We headed out the door and into the car, giving ourselves plenty of time to arrive at the requested time. As this is an Art Camp, pick up day is more than just grabbing your grubby kid and loading her into the car with a bag full of filthy clothes and heading back to the city. This is an event. The kids spend the entire time producing their particular "art", and a major presentation is staged and rehearsed for all the families to see what their kids have been up to for two weeks. Parents are guided in groups to the various exhibits of paintings, collage, theatre, dance, music, poetry readings and short films. Like any parent, we are really only interested in what our own progeny has created, but to be fair, you are asked to attend all of the presentations with your child and then a grand finale with all the kids gathered together in song wraps up the day. It is a looooonnnngg day! This year struck me as being even longer when the first words out of our darling daughter's lips were "Mom, Dad, there are two spots left for the next session - can I please, please stay for another two weeks?" My initial reaction was "what? - no, you're coming home with us today." Then I started to see how serious she was and then she started her sales pitch. "I'm just not ready to leave yet. It went too fast. I know some other kids that are staying. Think of the grocery money you will save if I'm not home." (oh - that will make all the difference, Emma) And on it went. As I mentioned in a previous blog, she has found her niche at Camp Centauri, unlike the wilderness camp she attended for 4 yrs up near Huntsville. She just loves this place and her face was so lit up with enthusiasm and excitement at the prospect of staying for another session, we really had no option but to say yes. Besides, I thought, she will get way more out of this experience than she will hanging around at home, sleeping in and playing on her computer. It would also mean another "presentation day" for us in two weeks. Admittedly, we enjoyed the effort made by her film group - their leader being a surprisingly talented young filmmaker. She will do theatre this go round - a stretch for our shy young lass - but maybe that's what is needed. So we took her off site to do a little supply shopping and fed her dinner and returned her to the place she loves.(and paid the fees!) In the car on the way back to the camp, I reached my hand behind my head over the top of my seat and wiggled my fingers to get her attention in the back seat. She reached up and grabbed my hand like she always has done since she was a little girl and we gave each other a little wordless squeeze. It will have to do until she gets home in another two weeks.