Caroline has reached another milestone in her life
Or at least to me it is a milestone.
She is going camping overnight with her Girl Scout troop. She is taking the very sleeping bag that my parents bought me for my first camping trip so I know it will keep her warm. I gathered the other things that she needed for the trip and the memories of my camping trips came back to me. It will probably be even stronger when I get her tomorrow and she smells of camp smoke. She is looking forward to cooking her dinner and s’mores. She is looking forward to spending time with her troop for more than just a meeting.
She is growing up so fast. I swear she was just a babe in arms the other day. I know that is not true. She has been growing and developing into a young lady. She is at that funny point between being a child and being a teenager even though she is only 10 (almost 11). There are things that are no longer cool because they are for younger children but, given the right day, she still enjoys them. She is shaping her taste and her personality. I am still the arbiter of what she sees on TV and in the movies. There are a couple of shows that the other kids see that I have put my foot down on and informed her that she can miss that. Most of those are run the gambit from mean spirited to just too stupid for words.
I want her to be able to spread her wings but I also want to protect her from things and people that might hurt her. I am at a funny point in this. I know I have to teach her responsibility for her actions and inactions. However sometimes it is easier for me to just go ahead and deal with the mess. I have to remind myself that she needs to learn how to deal with this and other things in life now so that it will be easier for her later.
She knows that her childhood is pretty much not like anyone else’s in her school. She has traveled places all over the world. She knows people that others would love to just meet. Her teachers know by this point that if she says she met someone then she is telling the truth. I remember when a teacher emailed me after Caroline told her about spending time with Harlan Ellison at his house. I affirmed that what Caroline had said and told the teacher that even though Harlan is not a blood relative, Caroline has always known him as Uncle Harlan since that is what her sisters call him and how he refers to himself to the David family girls.
She has great ambitions of what she wants to do with her life. I am sure whatever she finally picks she will be great at it.
I am grateful that I get to watch Caroline grow up.
She is going camping overnight with her Girl Scout troop. She is taking the very sleeping bag that my parents bought me for my first camping trip so I know it will keep her warm. I gathered the other things that she needed for the trip and the memories of my camping trips came back to me. It will probably be even stronger when I get her tomorrow and she smells of camp smoke. She is looking forward to cooking her dinner and s’mores. She is looking forward to spending time with her troop for more than just a meeting.
She is growing up so fast. I swear she was just a babe in arms the other day. I know that is not true. She has been growing and developing into a young lady. She is at that funny point between being a child and being a teenager even though she is only 10 (almost 11). There are things that are no longer cool because they are for younger children but, given the right day, she still enjoys them. She is shaping her taste and her personality. I am still the arbiter of what she sees on TV and in the movies. There are a couple of shows that the other kids see that I have put my foot down on and informed her that she can miss that. Most of those are run the gambit from mean spirited to just too stupid for words.
I want her to be able to spread her wings but I also want to protect her from things and people that might hurt her. I am at a funny point in this. I know I have to teach her responsibility for her actions and inactions. However sometimes it is easier for me to just go ahead and deal with the mess. I have to remind myself that she needs to learn how to deal with this and other things in life now so that it will be easier for her later.
She knows that her childhood is pretty much not like anyone else’s in her school. She has traveled places all over the world. She knows people that others would love to just meet. Her teachers know by this point that if she says she met someone then she is telling the truth. I remember when a teacher emailed me after Caroline told her about spending time with Harlan Ellison at his house. I affirmed that what Caroline had said and told the teacher that even though Harlan is not a blood relative, Caroline has always known him as Uncle Harlan since that is what her sisters call him and how he refers to himself to the David family girls.
She has great ambitions of what she wants to do with her life. I am sure whatever she finally picks she will be great at it.
I am grateful that I get to watch Caroline grow up.