The other night, Chloe and I had a great walk around the neighborhood together. We talked about lots of things. But one of the main takeaways of the evening was Chloe’s desire to go to sleepaway camp next year. Even if it means going alone (i.e., without a friend) – she’s ready for the adventure. You have to admire her independent streak! I showed her the Web site for the camp I went to as a kid, and she could barely contain her excitement. She was even intrigued by the fact that she’d have to make her bed every single day.
Our conversation about sleepaway camp led to a really nice talk about making friends – I reassured Chloe that she didn’t need to have lots of friends, and that even if she had two or three good friends, that’d be great. She shouldn’t rely on the same kid all the time for playdates, I told her. Last year was tough for her in that she was a little too insular – and I’d like her to expand her horizons in third grade.
I also told her that when I was a kid, I had less than a handful of close friends, even though I was friendly with more children. She was glad to hear that. “Mom, you don’t know how much better that makes me feel about myself!” she exclaimed. So, in theory, she gets it. Now we’ll see if she can put that theory into practice come September.
We talked about the three themes she should remember this fall, as she meets new kids at school. (1) Positive attitude. (2) Two-way street. (3) Give people a chance. She seemed to understand – and I’ll just continue to reinforce these ideas as September approaches.