Twinkle, Twinkle Nightime Star

I am the product of parents who divorced at a very young age. In fact I often find myself thinking, wow, I am 6 years older than my parents were when they got divorced... how on earth did they manage?

I have fond memories of my time with each parent but one that particularly stands out in my mind is that of my father and his new apartment.

I must've been about 8 years old at the time and my brother about 4. I can only imagine that the thought of entertaining 2 small children on his own for the weekend must've been quite overwhelming for a newly single father. I'm not quite sure that his plans weren't out of desperation but never the less they made a lasting impression on me.

For whatever the reason, that night on the lawn behind my father's new and unfamiliar apartment, he decided to pitch a tent. He gathered sleeping bags and flashlights, maybe a few cans of Vienna Sausages and out to camp we went. I remember laying in our cozy tent with my father and brother and feeling such ease and happiness. I spent hours just making rabbit ear shadows on the wall and eating all the junk food I could stomach.

The darkened world outside my tent was both scary and fascinating. I could see into the silhouetted lives of the neighbors all around us and although I would later learn what actual camping was about, I was hooked. I don't think we made it past 10:00 before I was begging to go in but the evening made the strangeness of this new life with my dad go away and had given me a memory that I could treasure forever.

It was with that event lovingly nestled into my subconscious that I had an impromptu camp out with my family in the backyard last night. I pulled out old sleeping bags and pillows, laid them in the grass and invited them to join me. (Please note that we are big city dwellers and don't do things like camp in the backyard that often, if ever) Needless to say, my daughter wasn't quite sure what to make of it. But once she and my son settled onto their blankets and begin gazing up into the starry sky it all fell into place. And hopefully she'll be able to look back and remember the night we all snuggled next to each other, staring into the darkness and realized we must live in some sort of flight path.

Summer Memory #2 - Backyard Camp Outs

There is nothing better than sleeping under the stars or at least lying quietly underneath them until your 3 year old drifts off to sleep. Looking up at the night sky, you can't help but feel small and somewhat insignificant but in the eyes of the kids who ask you about the planets and listen while you go on about shooting stars and milky ways you are all-knowing and very special.

What You'll Need

Flashlights

Sleeping bags or blankets

Listening Ears

Quiet

The rest is up to you and your imagination. There are no limits to the stories you can tell , the songs you can sing and the shadow puppets you can make... and if you are lucky enough, you can hear the sweet sound of your little one drifting off to sleep. Just be sure to wake before the sprinklers....