Alex,* my soon-to-be 13-year-old daughter, has been at camp for less than 24 hours and everyone in the family is missing her. I think even Hank, our dog feels the void.
The most surprising of all is how much Hazel misses her little sister. She sought the cuddles of Hank because she needed someone to, “Give me love!” as she put it. This is an odd necessity since Alex is selectively affectionate and is rarely so with her older sister. But don’t be fooled, Alex is quite attached to Hazel though she’d never admit it out loud.
I imagine that as I write this, Alex is missing her bed, family and mostly Hank since before she left the house for the last time this week, she cried over leaving her beloved cuddle buddy. At first I was a little hurt that she wasn’t overly concerned about leaving her mom until our last goodbye hug which was extra big.
I miss Alex’s snark and sarcasm. I even miss her pessimistic outlook on just about everything. I know camp is meant to encourage independence and building self-reliance but right now I’m wondering if all that’s intended for Alex or for me?
It’s going to be a long week.
*Not her real name. Like Hazel, she chose her pseudonym. And like Hazel, her chosen name doesn’t fit her at all. I like her real name much better.
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