Emily the Brave

Here is Em relaxing on the hammock that Mark just installed. She loves it and likes to lounge there for a few minutes in the morning before she goes to school.

Speaking of school...When we lived in Reston we worried that Em would grow up thinking that life was incredibly easy and everyone gets exactly what they always want. Why wouldn't she think that. Fairfax County is one of the wealthiest counties in the entire United States. We knew that bringing her to the Bahamas would expose her to some tough issues. She would witness 3rd world poverty first hand which we knew would be a good thing in the long run. It is important to know about the world outside the insular United States. She would learn how difficult life is for some,feel gratitude for what she was lucky enough to have and continue to develop her incredibly generous spirit. We would also have the opportunity to send her to private school (St Andrews) - and not just any private school but a world renowned IB school that would give her an amazing education and open up a world of opportunity to her when it came time to graduate.

Last weekend Emily went to a birthday party in the Atlantis Resort. The little girl was 10 years old and had arrived at the party with her inner circle in a stretch limosine. After the few thousand dollar 3 hours at Atlantis she was taking her inner circle for a sleep-over at the British Colonial Hilton. Oh dear. This is a little more excessive than Fairfax County.

Last week Emily brought home the permission slip for her 3 day school trip to a neighbouring island. Without spending money the price was $800. Ouch! This is a transition year for us and although we could scrape the funds together, that is a lot of money for a trip she won't remember two years from now. But it isn't really about the money (Mark even offered to give up our vacation so that she could go if Lisa was that upset about it), it is about understanding that you have to work for things. They aren't just given to you. When you are an adult and living in the real world you don't get to jaunt off to a neighbouring island for a couple of days without planning for it.

Lisa struggled and didn't sleep, she spoke to both Mark and Tom and finally decided she could not be a good Mother and say "Yes". It was too important a lesson - if not a tough one. Lisa sat Emily down and explained it all carefully and gave Emily all the reasons. She told her that we will reconsider for next year, and if we do it she will have to work to contribute towards it. She cried - a lot - and said she didn't care about understanding she just wanted to go (I know Em, I know)but we sat and cuddled and talked until she calmed down. When she did Lisa read her this blog post that she had read that just that morning in the midst of her anxiety. What a coincidence. Emily said she was sadder than both the girls in the story - but she did stop crying.

We have an amazing child. She pulled herself together last night and got right down to creating her own blog (sniffling the whole time). This morning she was as sunny as our patio. We adore her!