Camp is
for the camper......
This
morning we picked up our daughter from Crestridge Camp for Girls, and then our
son from Ridgecrest Camp for Boys. Thus
culminated two weeks of camp for both kids simultaneously. I am a firm believer in sending kids to camp
for a variety of reasons.
When kids
go to camp, often they get to experience different roles than at home, school,
church, etc. At camp you are not a
middle child or first born or the quiet kid-unless you want to be. When a camper walks into a cabin he or she
enters a whole new world and has the opportunity to excel, lead and express
ideas that are often left unsaid because of traditional roles.
For many
campers, the only time they are not completely under the supervision of a
parent or other relative is when they visit a "sleep away camp." Imagine the joy a child experiences when
he/she finally gets to make a decision without a parent dictating every
action. While most camps have
responsible adults present in the form of staff, if a camper decides to wear
mismatched clothes, the same shirt every day or go without socks that
opportunity arises. Campers are not
required to brush their hair, often get to stay up way after bed time and
sometimes they get to run with sticks or throw rocks! No helicopter parent is going to oversee or
determine each and every thing that child does or says.
Camp is a
place for new experiences. Outdoor
themed camps often give opportunities to try things like rafting, horse back
riding, rock climbing, zip lines and other fun and exciting adventure
activities. There are chances to go
skating at mid night, see a shooting star, play in the rain, experience a camp
fire and make new friends. Many friendships
and romantic relationships started in a
camp environment and have stood the test of time!
For my
son, each year he attends a gender specific camp, he gets the opportunity to
simply be a boy. Nobody cares too much
if they skip stones on a lake, "accidentally" tip over a canoe, skip
a night brushing teeth (or 2 or 3 or.....) or makes interesting and amazing
noises with his arm pit. (Not saying he
did that, however..) He has the chance
to hang out with some amazing staff that pour out their lives into these
developing young men. For just a little
while he gets to absolutely focus on fun, and anything he wants. We are not there to tell him
"No." He does not have to eat
his green beans. He can decide.
When my
daughter attends a girls only camp, she is free from all the gender drama stuff
that happens at school and other places.
Self image and esteem can simply flow by being around other young ladies
who can simply live live without the stress and strain of trying to impress
others. Certainly there is
competitiveness at a girls camp, yet it is not over guys! She gets the joy and privilege of letting
herself concentrate on whatever the theme is, what her cabin is doing and
whichever activities she has chosen to focus on that year. She chooses her friends, eats what she wants
and has a great time. What a life!
While I
was at the closing ceremonies of their respective camps, a simple thought
occurred to me. I recognized that again
both kids have had a fantastic experience.
This is what happens you you hire the BEST staff you can find, when you
PUSH and GUIDE them towards EXCELLENCE, and you simply do not settle for
anything LESS. Because I know the
full-time, year round staff at Crestridge and Ridgecrest camps I know their
heart. These folks recognize this simple
truth: parents are spending their hard
earned money to send their kids to camp, trusting that these kids will have an
amazing camping experience. I can only
speak for my family, yet I can say my kids absolutely love camp.
If I ever
had a national platform that I could use to promote anything, I would use that
platform to recommend parents send their kids to camp. (Among other things) I know how simply
working at summer camp changed my life.
I would have loved to attend a traditional summer camp, yet we simply
did not know about them. Many good camps
exist in many different price ranges. I
can honestly say that the best, and most important money, we spend each year is
for our kids to go to camp. Amazing
things happen at camp. Send your kids to
camp. Family camp is good. Camp without a parent is even better!
Camp
changes lives.
