How Can A 5yr Old Rule The World?

Yeah, I don't know either.

Daughter is absolutely in control. And she's very good at it, too. A five yr old with an incredible sense of dominance and management, she blows away Son.

Do note, I have always managed some business or another, despite being a full-time mom to two or three. So I get the idea of organization and a position of authority. I reallllly do. But at five years young? REALLY?

And to top it off, she could care less whether we find her amusingly irritating, pushy, flat out rude, or otherwise. She could care less whether the strange 12yr olds at the park found her abrasive when she told them how to play in the sand under the slide. Daughter doesn't care how Son feels when she orders him around to clean her room for her. She's amazing! Pure confidence, not a sway of uncertainty.

Trouble with that story I just rambled on about is that all I can do is ramble on about it. This girl is on a mission. How on Earth will I survive this one? I have been asking myself that a lot lately. It's like, I gave birth to some extra strong broad from Jersey and now she's preparing to move to a new planet where life is really hard and she needs to thicken her skin to survive. It's insane!

Don't get the wrong idea, this gal can be so adoring and gentle and sweet. She loves to cuddle, sing, draw, and dance. And she's a kitten around her baby sister!!!

And then she turns on ya! Ever have one of those cats that love to be pet only to, for no good reason, turn on you and scratch the crap outta you? Me too. She was sent to Australia to live a happy life with my sister.

So I shrug in resignation. She rocks, and I'm sure someday she'll be president, or ruler, or goddess. I don't worry her constitution is too fragile for the real world, and I have no fear she will do just fine with men when she's older. I just hope I live through it all to see it come full circle!

How To Send Your Kids To Camp This Summer

How to Send Your Kid to Camp… Rules of Engagement

Sending your kid to camp is no easy task. In fact, I approach it each year just like the last - as if I'm leaving to accomplish something so big, so great, that only the most stoic standing person can succeed at this challenge. By the time I'm done, they'll have a statue erected with my face on it. OK, not really, but still. It's hard! Here's some lessons I've learned in the last decade re: camp:

1. Pick a camp you are both comfortable with – the worst thing you can do is pick a camp you are nervous about sending your kid to. Is the context of the camp acceptable and worthy of your child’s attention? Does your kid seem excited to go and learn more about [insert something interesting here]? Is the camp organization reputable and do you have any local references to rely your opinion on?

2. Pick a camp that has a timeframe you both can handle – One serious mistake is to send your kid to a week-long overnight camp when he’s never spent the night anywhere else in his sweet little life. Camp is not the time to ‘try something new’ and hope they work it out. I guarantee you’ll get that call from a camp counselor and find yourself traipsing through the campground looking for your kiddo who’s shyly sitting in some corner wishing they were as brave as the other kids, not realizing it’s a matter of exposure, not confidence.

3. Have the ‘talk’ about mutual respect and group dynamics – turns out, much of what we intuitively know about group dynamics as adults came from experiences that worked (and didn’t work) as kids. Seems like a no-brainer, but as a parent I’m realizing that sometimes it’s those little nuances in an experience that my son misses until I point them out. At 34, I still miss those sometimes, too. But hey – no one’s perfect, right? So jot down some important messages you want to convey and have the talk with your kid before they go to camp. Some of my trusted favorites include, but are not limited to:

1. Just because your friend does it doesn’t mean you have to. This includes practical jokes, sneaking out of tents, catching poisonous snakes, jumping off of cliffs, kissing behind trees and other adolescent things that come up at camp. And I don’t care if he’s your new best friend.
2. Attending camp does not suddenly make you a teenager. Seriously. It simply makes you a kid who went to camp one summer, so NO, you cannot stay up until midnight and NO you cannot now watch rated-R movies. To be clear, getting older makes you a teenager. Then and only then do you get teenager privileges.
3. Yes, camp counselors count as guardians even when they aren’t related to you.  Bottom line is, they are wearing the camp counselor shirt, name tag, and other paraphernalia, so do what they say. Please.

4. Let go. Easier said than done, right? I know. Just remember – kids are like horses, bees, etc. They can sense fear. Once that happens, you’ll find yourself sending freshly baked cookies every day, writing (yes, writing) letters to mail to them, and more. Just let them go. It’s a great experience for the both of you and someday you’ll be sending them off to college, so start practicing now.

For more tips on how to send your kids to camp, click HERE!