By Robin P.
When Lillianna was younger, I patiently taught her to put the shaped blocks in the right slot, tie her shoes, brush her teeth, use the potty, read and do many other things. Now that she is only months away from turning 10, it seems the lessons I am teaching her are more complicated.
I teach her to have confidence in her fashion sense, "If you feel comfortable in it, wear it! It's OK to be creative."
I encourage her to try new foods, "If you don't like it, spit it out. At least try it. That's how I found out I liked fettuccine Alfredo!"
I let her know she should always trust her gut feelings. "If you don't like the way Erica treats you, it's OK not to be friends with her."
These are some of the life lessons I've been building on for years and I recently had a chance to see how well she's learning them when I went with Lillianna and her Brownie troop on a weekend getaway to Pine Grove, a dude ranch in the Catskills.
It was a mother and daughter weekend, and we were excited to embark on this unique adventure. We were a bit reluctant when we thought about horseback riding since our previous experience was a pony ride at the local fair many years ago, but we decided we would try as many new things as possible.
It was hard to know whether my child would embrace the new challenges or turn away in fear. I wasn't 100 percent sure which way I was headed myself. But I was pleasantly surprised by both of us.
Although horseback riding was cut short (it only lasted 10 minutes) due to our horses -- which had their own ideas about where they felt like going -- I was proud we tried it.
When it came time for archery, Lillianna became a bit frustrated until she saw me try it. I hadn't seen a bow and arrow since I was 11 years old at summer camp. I felt very confident as I stretched my bow as far as I could. My first arrow fell directly at my feet. The instructor told me that I had the arrow on the wrong side. I think Lillianna loosened up a bit on her next try when she saw that Mom didn't get it right the first time around either. Even though I hit a few hay stacks with my stray arrows, Lillianna hugged me and said I did a good job.
Lunch on the first day was a barbeque and I was thrilled when Lillianna ate a hamburger, since it's something she has only eaten a few times in her life. She didn't complain that there wasn't anything for her to eat. She just put a hamburger on her plate with some corn and fruit and happily gobbled it down. It may seem like a little thing, but I was very proud of her.
Every night, there was a dance club for the girls, since the whole dude ranch was filled with 400 girl scouts that weekend. Many girls from other troops dressed up in mini-skirts and short tops for the "night club," but Lillianna and her friends went to the club in their comfy pajamas. It made us laugh because the girls felt confident enough to wear what they wanted and they weren't bothered by the girls who had dressed up. They danced late into the night in style and comfort.
The weekend away with Lillianna and her friends was amazing. I realized that I've raised a funny, adventurous, loving and confident girl. Of course, I still have a lot more to teach, and we both have a lot to learn. Life lessons are never ending!
Robin P. lives with her husband and daughter in a suburb south of Boston.
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