Mom Power

Tomorrow morning I head out with five other moms on a "moms camping trip."  Moms...and kids.  Last year was our first time going and my kids have been talking about it ever since.  They are besides themselves with excitement!  The other night I asked them what they remember the most from last year.  I waited for answers like "playing at the beach" or "sleeping in a tent."  Sophie answered, "Getting juice boxes out of the cooler."  Ok.

I, however, am excited for different reasons.  I'm excited about being in nature.  About setting up our tent.  About hiking.  About cooking over an open fire.  Making coffee.  Taking kids through the woods to the bathroom in the middle of the night (ok, I'm not really excited about that one).  And I love showing my kids that women can do all of this on our own.

I want my kids to know that women are strong.  That women are smart.  That it's good to be independent.  I love that our kids will see us moms discussing, planning, problem-solving, and fixing.  We'll have to cooperate, communicate and compromise.  We'll laugh.  Maybe cry.  Probably yell a little bit.  But mostly, we'll laugh. 

So, I'll be gone for the rest of the week.  (That's the other thing I love about camping.  No computer.  No television.)  I'm sure there will be a recap when I return.  Last year I came back with a better understanding of my fear of edges.  Maybe this year I will learn more about my fear of large groups of children.