Growing Pains

My kids.

My kids came to me tonight, claiming their independence.
Not moving out or anything, because, you know, I can cook very well. And I take requests.
No, we are going away for the weekend.
Tonight they wanted to pack their own bags.

First, I laughed, because I'm super-supportive of their growth and abilities. High-five!

They're used to this reaction. They waited me out with looks of barely contained impatience.
Then they ran off to their rooms, and I heard drawers slamming and the unmistakable sound of clothes plopping on the floor.

It took Thing One about 5 minutes to return with a cardboard box my Mother had given her to hold pictures, bulging  and threatening to explode.
She instructed me not to open it because it took her a long time to get it to shut, and assured me she had the requisite amount of socks, underwear and a toothbrush.

Thing Two emerged two hours later with a train and a Hot Wheels car.
I took him back into his room, and had him pick out the required clothing. I made him stuff them into his bag himself.
I suspect he will be the child I  will be booting out the door at 30.

After the kids went to bed, I gathered all our crap in one place. There's a lot of crap.

Kids= one bag each and a sleeping bag. (Or, one bag, and one 8x10x3 cardboard memory box in the shape of a suitcase that isn't going to make it off the ferry before exploding)

Me= 1 rolling suitcase, 1 knitting bag that will never see the light of day but must travel with me just in case, the diaper bag (shut up.), a canvas bag with food, gifts, and stuff to be returned, a bunch of empty canvas bags The Big Guy was supposed to bring to the mainland three times and didn't, one booster seat, and a cooler.

That's traveling light.

And that's when it occurred to me that I'd never checked Thing One's packing job.

Now, it's not like we're going to Camp, where socks and underwear and sweatshirts are imperative, irreplaceable, and otherwise unobtainable due to the lack of stores.
Anything she forgot we can easily obtain.
But.
But, really? I'm really not going to see what she brought?

There's every possibility that she packed 2 pair of PJ's, a change of underwear, and four dolls.

I didn't check.
I'm going through with it.

I can do this. She will learn from this.

I'm bringing my Ativan.