My daughter’s chosen adventure this year was to take us all to camp. She attended a day camp last summer and wanted us all to enjoy a similar experience. However, certain obstacles thwarted her plans, such as finding enough time in a schedule already laden with football practice and math tutoring. Not to mention the challenge of finding a day camp that accepted middle-aged parents. That being said I knew that creating a magical night at home may be the way to go this year.
Thankfully, I firmly planted myself in Chattanooga, TN, and spent four years at the same school, which helped me develop a tight-knit circle of friends. Like most college kids, we became family: eating every meal, attending every event, and spending every weekend together. Throughout the years, our parents would cycle through for short visits or attend events, and we would show up for the obligatory introductions or have a quick meal with them all in the dining hall. However, some of the other parents represented a bit more in my inner circle. One of my closest friends, Trisha, had those parents.
It is official. Summer is breathing its last hot and humid breaths, and I am reflecting on the memories we created. There were beach trips, picnics, and countless pool visits mixed in with a solid helping of football practices and endless math tutoring. It was a lovely combination of fun and focus, and I always wonder how long these memories will last in my children’s minds. I hope they are the sticky kind of memories. The ones that reappear years from now and bring joy.