About Rebecca Eckler
Since becoming pregnant with her daughter Rowan, Canadian journalist and author Rebecca Eckler has penned three hilarious books, including the best-selling Knocked Up. Catch Rebecca’s weekly unique perspective on motherhood and single parenthood.
I can see where it begins and why men seem to always travel way lighter than women. My daughter went on her first overnight camping trip with her school.
I packed for my daughter’s TWO-night stay. I looked at the detailed list of what to bring that was sent home.
One bathing suit? Really? I mean, what if she wants to go swimming twice. I hate getting into a wet bathing suit. So I packed two. One warm sweater? Really? I mean, what if it gets really cold, and the one sweater gets wet or something. So I packed three. One pair of pyjamas? Really? OK, I’ll pack two just in case.
And the shoes? Well, trust me when I say I’m a good packer, except when it comes to shoes. You never know what kind of shoes you want to wear, until you get to the place. No matter where I travel, even if it’s for two nights, I end up packing at least five pairs of shoes. So does my daughter now.
What if it was sunny? She needed sandals. What if it rained? She needed rain boots. What if it wasn’t raining, but still wet? She needed her Nikes. What if it was cool but sunny? She needed her pair of sneakers. And what if she wants to wear water shoes? In any case, my daughter ended up with five pairs of shoes/boots for her two-day trip.
This is her mother’s (my) fault. That’s because her mother (me) believes in being comfortable – as comfortable as one can get while camping. And, hey, it’s Canada. It could be cold or hot or windy or rainy or who the hell knows what?
Of course, my daughter also needed to bring THREE large stuffed animals, and who was I to argue with that? It’s her first overnight camping trip.
I dropped her off, with her huge duffle bag, and practically did a drive-by. I didn’t want to see the looks on the teacher’s faces when I dropped her off with her duffle bag of clothes that could last her a week, at least. Let’s just say my daughter won’t be able to carry her own bag.
As I drove away, I saw a boy in her class arrive with his suitcase. It was so small. It was as if he were spending the day at a friend’s house. Is this why females don’t pack lightly? It all begins with that first overnight camping trip and a mother whose packing mantra is something like, “I might as well pack this too. Better safe than sorry.”
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