Princess Camp

We decided not to do swimming lessons this summer for Braelyn so when I saw that the local theater was putting on a Disney Princess Camp, I knew that would be the thing for her. The problem was that it was for ages 5-7. I didn't think she would get much out of the camp for 3-5 yrs olds and I felt like she would be able to keep up with the older girls and not be disruptive so I decided to sign her up anyway. I told her when we went to register that she should not tell them she was actually 4. This started a month long conversation about truth and lies, which I still feel guilty about, and I found myself worrying when she would tell everyone that, "I'm going to Princess Camp, and I can't tell them I am 4." She even began to ask in her prayers that she would not tell anyone she wasn't 5. She didn't like that I wouldn't be staying with her (even though she asks me to drop her off at random places all the time) but we talked about how much she loves making new friends and that there would be lots of fun activities for her to do. The first morning came and we each said good-bye feeling a little nervous. Berkley was so confused and kept looking at Braelyn's car seat and asking, "Where Baelyn? Where sister?" She did not like being by herself, but grocery shopping was so much easier with just one. I picked Braelyn up expecting her to have had the best time ever but she was a little quiet and probably a little overwhelmed. She told me a girl had pushed her when she didn't go the right way, and again I tried to find the right thing to say to make her feel better without calling the little girl a brat (I am not ready to handle her going to school yet, and not being able to keep her safe) but as soon as she told me about it she seemed to feel better and began to tell me all about her day. They had saved a unicorn from the mean guy and had started to learn the princess dance and made crowns and wands. The next morning I worried she wasn't wanting to be there but when we got to the lobby she saw a little girl on the stairs who seemed very upset and she walked right up to her, told her her name and sat down by her. She makes me so proud when she sees someone elses' need and tries to be a nice person. We had also seen another little girl at the pool, so Braelyn found she had more friends to see when she got there. She seemed to be more comfortable that day and was excited to go for the rest of the week. We had a great time picking which princess outfit she would wear every day and she practiced her dance all over the house. Berkley began to feel a little left out when we would have to leave in the morning and one day before we left she went and got a Cinderella outfit on. She marched to the front of the line and cried when I had to take her out with me. I think she thought if she got dressed up then she would be able to stay. Some ladies from an accounting office on the street saw how sad she was and came out to tell her she looked so adorable in her costume. During the week we were invited to a tea party with our little girls. I had a friend watch Berkley, so I got to go and have a fun date with Braelyn. We had cookies that the girls had frosted themselves and then they had some princesses' come in for a visit and pictures with the girls. The last day the girls put on a little show for all of the families. Kevin was able to come over from work and I felt very "parently" as we got out the camera and proudly watched each little twirl and step she took on the stage. They let each girl use the microphone and tell everyone her name and her favorite princess. Braelyn was the 2nd to last and after all the worry and discussion about not letting them know she was too young she grabbed the mike and announced, "I'm Braelyn Allred. My favorite princess is Tiana. And I'm 4 years old." I guess the guilt was too much for her to handle and she had to confess! She was adorable doing her dance and added a few steps for flair. We each gave her a rose after she was finished and I think she felt like royalty. She waved and blew kisses to everyone we passed on the street. I'm glad she didn't give up when she was a little scared because she would have missed out on so much fun. She is definitely our little princess!