Confessions from Camp

Last night, I went camping with my 6 year old and her Girl Scout troop.  It was my first camping experience with her and it was actually rather enjoyable.  My daughter LOVED it and, hey, isn't that all that matters?

I am going to be completely honest here.  Please don't judge. 

So we went camping at a nature center.  We were in a "lodge" for the night.  Not real, true roughing it out in the woods in tents and using outhouses.  But these girls are 6 and 7 years old.  No need for the real thing quite yet.  Baby steps.

Since the nature center was a State Park, we had to follow some "rules".  I'll just come out and say it.  No alcohol was allowed.

Here is what I expected:

We would be in a "lodge", sitting by a nice fire on comfy couches.  The kids would be so tired from our hike and bonfire that they would pass out by 9:30.  Then all the moms would stay up late and talk.  Everyone would have a "secret stash" of liquor in their bags (because even though we were not supposed to bring alcohol, hey, we are all adults and can handle a little drinky to relax at the end of a long night.)

This is what I imagined. Not quite the reality.

Here is what happened:

We sat in a common room on folding metal chairs.  There was a fire.  The room did have a wilderness lodge feel.  There were moose, elk, and wild boar (to name a few) heads on the wall. 
Apparently, the other moms were rule followers.  Just a few of us were up later than then the girls.  Only my sister-in-law and one other mom mentioned wanting a drink.  And wasn't I glad I could help?  Oh yes, I brought cans of Diet Coke and a water bottle filled with vanilla rum.  So the three of us went into the kitchen and secretly had a drink like we were teenagers sneaking into our parents' stash then refilling the used liquor bottles with water.
I should also note that my sister-in-law brought diet root beer and whipped cream vodka.  Oh, and I had 2 boxes of Pinot Grigio in my bookbag.  Have you seen those cute little boxes that hold 3 glasses of wine?  Yep, I had 2 of them.  I didn't drink them though.  Mainly because I forgot my coffee thermos and didn't know how else to drink it without being caught.

Here are my thoughts for the future:

I would LOVE to go camping again.  And I will bring booze again.  That's about it.