Char's First Sleepover: With a Little Help From Her Friends

It seemed like a good idea back in September.

Charlotte and Daphne attended an informational meeting at Char's school about the Girl Scouts, and later Charlotte joined as a Brownie. I believe the tipping point was the idea that the girls would be having a sleepover at Camp Sacajawea in November.

Charlotte was excited about the sleepover, and we were excited about having a date night without hiring a babysitter. But attitudes changed as the date grew closer.

The idea that she was going to spend a night at an unknown camp without any family around weighed heavily upon her.

We have white board sign that greets Char in the hallway, and she asked me last week, "Ummm, Dad, why did Mom write on the sign, 'Three more days until the campout'?"

"Because your camp out is in three days. It's on Saturday." It's the only answer I could think of.

"Ummm, about that. I'm not sure if I want to go anymore."

"Oh, c'mon. You're going to have a blast! You already have two friends that are also going." I tried to fill my voice with enthusiasm, but Char appeared unconvinced.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure if they are going now. I think we are all staying home." This wasn't true, and we both knew it.

"Mom already confirmed with the other moms that their girls are going. So are you." I raised my hands in the air, "It's gonna be... So! Much! Fun!" Char frowned at me and walked away.

The sleepover was the last thing Charlotte talked about on Friday night, and it was the first thing she spoke of on Saturday morning.

We got to Camp Sacajawea at 1:00 p.m. You can tell that Charlotte was still unsure at the camp's check-in desk.

She didn't even make a face at me when she caught me taking her picture.

Just as she was getting her Blue Bird wrist band, we heard a voice call out, "Charlotte! You're finally here!" Two girls from Char's troop ran over, and the three girls laughed and hugged.

They led us to the main hall where we would be leaving her gear.

One of the girls had a digital camera, and the three posed for a selfie. Since they are all wearing name tags, I'll just zoom in on our kid.

Whew! With a little help from her friends, we knew that Charlotte was going to be fine.

Our phones didn't ring that night, and when we picked Charlotte up the next morning, she was happy, a little hungry, and definitely safe.

But what about Daphne and I? That's a story for a different post.