Growing Pains

I just dropped off my two oldest at camp for the week. I do believe that gives a new definition to the term "growing pains".
I get Emily settled into her cabin reminding her of all the little motherly things. I tell her be sure to hang up your towel after your shower so it doesn't stink, here's your good clothes, your play clothes, etc.. In typical childlike fashion she endures the lecture all the while her eyes staring right past me and out the door. I am sure she was thinking wrap this up mom, there is a whole lot of fun waiting for me. So I take the hint and end my speech realizing she will probably not remember anything I tell her anyway. "I'll be back to say goodbye after I get your brother in his cabin." "O.k.," she shouts back to me as she goes running past me toward the door. I am sure she was thinking I better make a break for it before she starts to tear up or give me more rules that I won't remember once she leaves.
I get in the van to drive over to the other side of the camp to get Isaiah situated in his cabin. There were more girls than boys this year. The additional girls cabins were going to be housing workers so they had to put the boys into the cabins the girls usually stayed in. The boys cabins have more bunks so they could hold the extra girls. I take my son into the cabin and help him pick out a bunk. I tell him, "I stayed in this very cabin when I was little." "What?" He replies I think more out of horror than anything. He starts reading the bunks where girls have signed their names and silly little quips. He had one bunk picked out but I thought another would be better. "Amber loves boys," he reads off the bunk I had picked out.
"Mom I can't sleep in this one, whoever sleeps here Amber will love." I roll my eyes and he takes the hint getting his bed made up. I once again start into my motherly lecture. I feel this child has never been here before, surely he will want to hear my sage advice. Of course I received the typical Isaiah response. To every suggestion I have he of course has a "better" way to do it. I see this is a battle I am quickly losing. I now end the passing on of my wisdom and tell him to ride back up to front with me and I will tell you and your sister Good-bye.
"Mom, I want to go play," he replies. "Just ride up to front with me," I say while giving him the look that tells him, it's not really a suggestion. Looking for a chance to escape he says, "Can't I just walk up there while you drive?" I can tell by the look in his eyes, he won't really be missing me at least not today. "Give me a hug," I say resigned to the fact that I have been replaced at temporarily by the allure of the Gaga Ball court. I give hime one last plea to remember to shower and off he runs shouting back promises I am sure he will not keep.
I drive off to the front of the camp in hopes I will have a better response to my leaving from my oldest. I find her on the merry-go-round already engrossed in a conversation with several new found friends. I can tell once again, mom has taken a backseat in the attention category. I give her a hug squeezing a few last remembrances about being careful about what she eats. She gives me a hug and does the slow backing away thing. Nodding in agreeance with what I am saying as she cast glances over her shoulder looking for a means of escape.
Can it be that I am that old already? My children old enough to be off on their own for a whole week. Taking baby steps toward their future, while mom takes one step back. Weren't they just crying as I left them in the nursery, not wanting mom to be gone from them or out of their sight for even one minute? It is perhaps not only children that are the ones to experience growing pains. I feel I have just been forced to grow in one morning several inches in a matter of minutes.