For a long time now, people have been warning me this would happen.

This whole, "Oh my gosh, can't I stop the clock" feeling has taken me over. It's like the first 13 years of parenthood were filled with moments of "Well, at least she is almost potty-trained" and "Gee, I can't wait until he is sleeping through the night."

Now, all I feel is, "Jiminy Christmas, my kid is going to high school next year?"

This has really been hitting me lately, and hitting me hard. And two words can sum it up nicely.

Camp Waskowitz.

It seems like yesterday that my oldest daughter prepared to go to Camp Waskowitz. For those of you who don't know, this is an amazing rite of passage for Chautauqua 5th graders.

They all go off to this amazing outdoor camp and learn about the environment and each other. They also learn to let go of their parents a little. And this is a good thing, with middle school on the horizon.

Camp Waskowitz was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in 1935 and is a State and National Historic Preservation site and is one of only two remaining CCC Camps in the United States with all of the original buildings still standing.

Since the inception of the Outdoor Education program in 1947, over 200,000 students have experienced this school in the woods.

I remember my oldest packing her things, talking about who she would hang out with for the week. And, I remember her coming back at the end of the week, exhausted, dirty, and thrilled by it all. Now she is in her final year at McMurray, getting ready for the big jump into high school next year.

Now my second child is off at Waskowitz with her friends. I am sure I will blink my eye just one or two times and my third and last child will have zoomed through time from 2nd grade to 5th grade and make his Waskowitz journey.

There are a few things in life that I am just crazy about, and one of them is going away to camp. I did it, and I still tear up when I remember how much I loved going away to Black Lake Camp in Olympia every summer.

I loved sitting around the fire, and being in the outdoors, and singing camp songs.

I guess it made sense then that I became a Camp Fire leader when I grew up. For the last six years I have led my daughter's Camp Fire group on Vashon, and you can frequently find us walking up down through town, doing service projects, and singing camp songs the whole way.

Lately, I find myself looking at the kids and thinking of these last six years. When did my Camp Fire kids get to be Waskowitz age?

Before I know it they will be graduating from high school. And I, their former Camp Fire leader, will be sitting in the audience and watching them get their diplomas, remembering selling Camp Fire candy together, or singing crazy Camp Fire songs as we run around town.

It's amazing, this feeling of time speeding up. That acceleration especially hurts during key rites of passage, and makes me want to stop the clock. The first day of school. A special day at Camp Fire. The 3rd Grade Program.

Camp Waskowitz.

Have a great time, Lilly. A moment ago you were going off to kindergarten. Enjoy camp. Sing your camp songs, be with your friends, and enjoy being outside. Get dirty and get tired, and come back exhausted.

But be ready when you come home. Because I am going to want to just sit here with you for a while. And if I can't slow down the clock, maybe we can just sit together and sing a camp song.

(Lauri Hennessey lives on Vashon Island and has three children, 13, 11, and 7. She finds herself very sentimental these days. You can reach her at lauri@hennesseypr.com.)