We knew when we sent Zoe to “Summer Day Camp” she would likely be one of the youngest there. In fact, it’s for 5-13 year olds, but clearly they’re not so strict about that…

Guess who got the short end of that stick?

The schedule is pretty old school: Play, snack, Play, lunch, Swim, snack, Play. We were particularly excited about the various “theme days” like Crazy Hair Day and field trips to the Zoo and the beach (who would willingly bring a bunch of young kids to the beach?!) In concept, that all sounded awesome.

Enter Rainbow Girl (pictured above).

Last Thursday night, Bart and I went out for dinner while Holly and Panda watched the girls. When we got back home, Holly reminded us that Friday was Superhero day and said that Zoe (who was asleep) wanted to be RAINBOW GIRL! With a cape and a rainbow shield!

It was 8 pm and there was ZERO chance we were going out find rainbow gear, but we had not one rainbow in the house (odd, really). So we decided to improvise. I cut out circles of colored paper, pink, orange, green, blue, purple (RAINBOW!) and made a shield, and Bart created a makeshift handle for the back. I pulled together a pink gymnastics outfit and some cute socks, then found a white kitchen towel with colorful popsicles for a cape. We were very very proud of ourselves.

The next morning Zoe got up and i showed her the outfit, walking her through the details. She was super excited, then when I’m done she said, “Mommy, that’s so cute but where’s my costume?” I explained that it WAS the costume – awesome, right?! “But Mommy, we have to go to the store and BUY a rainbow costume!”

Not my favorite response… So I explained that Mommy & Daddy can’t just go BUY a costume so we made her this one so she can be RAINBOW GIRL! No luck. Off to her room she went, only to return and decide SHE wanted to make the costume… Mind you, it’s morning (and those are chaotic enough as it is). I gave her 5 minutes, set a timer on my iPhone and said go for it.

My shield? Cut in half to make a rainbow, which Daddy glued to a t-shirt, front and back. But then she decided she didn’t like that after all and ended up with Daddy gluing pink tulle to a crown, throwing on a different gymnastics outfit, et voia: Rainbow Girl, Zoe style. (way over the 5-minute mark, for the record)

Maybe this is a warmup for “homework” and last minute school projects? Who knows? But back to the Gigolo.

The other part about camp that was cute at first? The chants (cheers?) she’d come home singing.

• We got the spirit, Yes we do! We got the spirit, how ’bout you?!
• I said a boom-chicka-boom, I said a boom-chicka-boom…

Until today. Today, she brought home the gigolo:

• Everyone: Are you ready?
  Girl: To What?
  Everyone: To Jig!
  Girl: Jig What?
  Everyone: A-Low!
  Girl: Oh!

  Girl only:
  My hands up high (raises hands)
  My feet down low (hangs hands to feet)
  This is the way I “Jig A-Low” (Girl does a brief dance, ex. Pony or just wiggles)

Spell it however you want, I can’t find a good reason to teach little girls to go around sassy dancing to a “gigolo” song. It’s like the bu-banana (go-gorilla?) song I learned in high school that ends with “peel your banana and, uh, take a bite”. Needlessly suggestive. My mother didn’t like it much either.

Which is exactly why I loved it. As they say, what you give, you get. Our teenager years are going to be interesting…