SUMMER OF DISCOVERY

This year is the first time I get to have my daughter Alexandria every other week, from Sunday to Sunday, all throughout the summer. It's really freaking awesome. Unfortunately, I do have to go to work so I can't spend all day with her. I didn't want to stick her with some random person at their creepy house. We have all heard the horror stories of bad home day cares. I remember some of those when I was a kid and being plopped in front of the TV for most of the day is the last thing I want for my daughter. I don't do that at home so I sure in the hell won't pay for someone else to do it. I also don't want to ask anyone in my family because that really isolates her to people she already knows and she could use some personal bubble popping. Besides, how much can grandma actually come up with day after day?

Luckily my sister-in-law Jennifer had been searching online for camps. She stumbled upon one run by the city of Wichita called Summer of Discovery. They take them on multiple field trips per week, keep them busy with activities and swimming, she can win prizes and it helps her socialize with a broader range of kids. Not to mention it's way cheaper then most day cares. She's seven years old and needs more fun and "big girl" adventures anyways. But let me get to the real heart of this story.

As I was dropping Alex off for the first time at the Edgemoor recreation center, I realized that this exact moment was a part of my childhood too, except now I am the parent. My mother used to take my brother and I to the Orchard rec center for camp. It has come full circle and now my own daughter gets to enjoy camp as my brother and I once did. Those days are full of very fond memories for both he and I. All the games, friends, trips and fun really helped us become more social people. Plus it was a chance to feel more grown up and out of the babied environment of a daycare or grandma's house. It makes me feel proud and a bit weepy to know she gets to experience it too. Letting your children experience the good pieces of your life is freaking awesome.