Do you want to be friends?

Sydney attended her first day of summer camp today. She had a great day. She made new friends, learned new things, and did new activities. This morning, she was nervous. I can always tell with her, as it's the only time she gets quiet on me. Like, super quiet. And kind of stoic.
People ask me if she ever attends summer camp with friends. I say, "no." Not definitively, of course, because if a friend wanted to go to a camp with her, I would never say no to that. But on the whole, I enjoy that she goes to her camps on her own. You know what it does? It forces her to meet new people and make new friends on a weekly basis. This is not a skill that comes easily to many people, and I am always happy to make her exercise it regularly during the summer.
I firmly believe that the best thing my mom and dad did for me was to move me to a different school every four years or less of my life. I was never in the situation where I had the same friends in school for so many years that I was unable to make new ones. That was something I noticed about Brian at dental school: He had a hard time becoming friends with people. He was fine meeting them and chatting in class, but beyond that, little to nothing. In his experience, he'd had the same group of friends since kindergarten, and hadn't had to make the effort on his own. Thank goodness the other dental students were a persistent bunch in trying to be his friend. I mean, I met him through his elementary school friend. So even I didn't count as meeting someone on his own.
So for Sydney, I'm super proud of her bravery in walking into a new camp and being able to make new friends. Because she has to, and because she can. Today, her new friends, Abby, Abigail and Connor, made the day a good one. She's eager to go back to camp tomorrow, and I'm even more excited for what the rest of the summer holds.