20 June 2007

##### NEWS FLASH! #####

Oh. my. word.

I am in shock.

Silly-Head (aka the "Cling-On") let me DROP HER OFF at a nearby Vacation Bible School. True, her sister is with her, but if you knew Silly-Head you would know that this HUGE.

She does not adapt quickly to new situations. She is VERY insecure and sticks to Mulletman and I like plastic wrap.

Did I mention this is HUGE?

I went with them last night and stayed with them the whole two hours. Girly-Girl was hooked. She wanted to go back every single night even if I made her walk 5 miles barefoot through the snow to get there. She grabbed the cd of the music and begged me to play it in the car.

She listened to and sang with the aforementioned cd 397 times today. She worked on her memory verse. She carefully selected an entire blue outfit to wear so she would be in her "team colors".

Silly-Head was also game to go back until I told her that I was not going to come.

"I'm going to be putting hours and hours (and hours) into our own church's VBS in just a very few weeks. I don't want to be a volunteer helper for this church's program, nor do I want to be your security blanket every evening. If you want to go, that's fine. If you want to stay home, that's fine. What do you want to do?"

"Stay home."

Girly-Girl didn't mind this arrangement at all. She's more independent. But Silly-Head was thinking and mulling all day.

As I fixed supper, Girly-Girl changed into her blue team outfit. Silly-Head appraoched me with her best puppy dog look, "Can you PLEEEEEEEASE come and stay with me?" (translation: She WANTS to go. Aha. Can she manipulate her soft-hearted Mommy into compliance?)

I was a rock, "No I cannot. If you want to go to VBS, then I will drop you off at the beginning and pick you up the end."

Silly-Head contemplated some more; a fun, but risky evening at VBS sans parents or staying safely home and helping Mom with the dishes?

The final straw was when Girly-Girl started gathering together nickels for the missions offering. Carrying a baggie of shiny nickels - what six year-old's resolve could stand against a draw like that?

"I wanna go too...."

Girly-Girl smiled her very best and brightest big sister smile. "Of course you want to go! I'll be there with you and Mom will pick us up later and, well, we even KNOW some people there. It'll be fun!"

And now they're both there.

Without me.

This is HUGE.

REALLY HUGE.

9 comments:

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

That was a BIG step for her! Way to go! woo, Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Susan said...

Good for her :o) Baby steps.

Carole Burant said...

Yup, that IS huge!! It will be interesting to know how she was during that time:-) Letting go of the apron strings is a big step for a child!! xox

Lori said...

I am happy for you and your daughter. This is just the first step of many...

Unknown said...

She sounds like my Shane! He was such a clinger until a year or so ago. It has been wonderful watching him blossom and spread his wings a bit! So I DO KNOW how HUGE this is for you.

Karen Putz said...

Way huge-- I can relate! This is the year that my youngest has agreed to join the other two at camp. A whole week without kids-- what am I going to DO?????

Dawn said...

Kristen has similar problems with Feisty. She has one sitter at church that she adores and if Sandy isn't there, it's a problem. The screaming excitement of the Bible School kids last week was too much for her - she made it through 2 nights in great form, then freaked on the third night and went to the nursery (she's 3), and then wouldn't go back the last two nights. VBS is a bit more raucous than it was in the years I helped out.

Love the first installment of the Trek!

Tammy said...

Woohoo! That is great! :D

I haven't heard of VBS in the evenings, it's always been mornings out here. My little girlies are going the end of July.

The one you described sounds like a lot of fun! Team colors and CD's! :D

(I need to catch up and read your post below, now...)

Karen said...

Big news indeed! Now, really... how are YOU feeling about it???