Today, my 11-year-old daughter, nicknamed Rani for this blog, is off on a two-day excursion organized by her school. This is the first time she is out on an overnight trip that is not with the family (us!).
Since last year, I have wanted her to go on a trip like this, as it's a wonderful experience at her age, to go travelling with your friends. In addition to the fun you have, it gives you a healthy sense of independence and the confidence that you can take care of yourself even when your parents are not around. Since I had experienced it myself by going on a summer school trip for 2 weeks when I was the same age, I wanted her to have a similar experience (although hers is a much shorter trip!).
So, when her school informed us about this planned excursion last month, I was as excited as her! I wondered at the fact that I didn't feel too worried about her going off like this for the first time. Perhaps, when it came closer to the trip I may start feeling more worried, I thought.... But no, right up to the time that she left this morning, the feeling of anticipation and excitement that I was feeling on her behalf didn't reduce, and no kind of worry or anxiety crept in. I do hope these positive feelings are justified, and that she comes back having enjoyed the trip and looking forward to more such excursions. If so, I would definitely like to send her on some of the private camping and trekking tours that get organized these days for children of her age.
The one thing that I am concerned about, is her ability to take care of her things properly, especially the camera that we have sent with her. We gave her so many warnings and instructions about taking good care of the camera, that when she was being dropped by her dad, she asked him - "What's the first question you are going to ask me when I return - how am I or how's the camera?!!"
Well, let's see how it goes. She is due back tomorrow evening. Meanwhile, her younger sister, Pari, got invited to her aunt's house today, so we've gotten a rare quiet day to ourselves!!
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2 comments:
It's nice to see a mother excited (rather than worried) for her daughter's outing! I'm sure she will have loads of fun.
And you are *so* on the right track encouraging her independence - I admire it!
Pssst... I will be back to read more later. :)
Devaki - thanks for your comment... You get the honor of being the first to comment on my blog! :-)
Of course, the onus is now on me to try and blog some more....
And yes, she did enjoy her outing immensely, and she and the camera came back in one piece!
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