Camping and Avoiding Loneliness

Tonight, my little girl was especially tired. Directly after dinner she asked to go to her bed. Of course, not without a story or two. After reading her three books, delving into the deep plots of the actual color of a cow and an elephant who thinks he’s a cat, she teared up and asked me to sleep with her.

Now, last night we went camping for only the second time in her short life. She loved it. From running around with sticks to toasting s’mores to snuggling deep into her sleeping bag, she enjoyed every minute of our short camping trip. But I think that her favorite part was having all four of us tightly squished together into our tent, whispering late into the night and sleeping the deep sleep of a truly loved and cared for little girl.

So, when she said, “Mommy, I want you to sleep with me tonight.” I knew where the sentiment came from and we talked a little about how much fun camping had been. I asked her about her favorite parts and whether she had loved camping. She smiled throughout, shared special moments, talked about new friends met there and told me how soon she would like to go back.

By the time her brother strutted into the room she was smiling and ready to talk it out with him. She told him she had really liked camping and she hoped they could share a room forever. And being the patient big brother, he listened, hugged her and then they played Legos.