With Camp Takajo Visiting Day in our sights, I thought this would be the perfect time to share some thoughts and suggestions on this very exciting day. When you arrive in camp, there will be staff members to direct you to different parking locations on property. We understand that you are eager to reconnect with your son, but please appreciate that it is challenging for us to park so many cars without sacrificing field space to run our program.
When you get out of your car, you will be directed to our welcome arch next to our three clay tennis courts where staff will inform you of the location of your son’s first activity. Please do not go looking for your son at his bunk because he is being told you will meet him at his first assigned activity.
For those that require a little extra assistance maneuvering around our facility, we will be offering golf cart shuttles throughout the day. These golf carts are to be used specifically for those who truly require additional assistance, and cannot be used for personal use such as trips to your car. We will be serving a delicious lunch on a stagger system beginning at 11:30. Lunch will be followed by a great assortment of desserts, including refreshing ice cream, served in our lodge, which is connected to our main office.
Warrior campers’ activities will resume after lunch at 1:45 and Junior and Senior campers’ activities will resume at 2:45. There is a significant amount of time available for you to swim, play tennis, or find a quiet place to interact with your child. While visiting day is a wonderful time for parents to reconnect with their children, I strongly suggest that you stay within our schedule and encourage your son to follow his daily routine. One of the keys to the success of our program is the structure of our day. With the best of intentions, parents often give their son the opportunity to opt out of that routine. This usually becomes counter-productive because too much down time creates boredom and emotion, which makes for a less enjoyable visiting day. Another reason we want your son to attend his normally scheduled activities is so all parents will have the opportunity to witness their child’s new skills, meet his new counselors, and experience his normal routine. I would also like you to be sensitive to that fact that if you pull your son from our activities, we may not have enough campers to run our normally scheduled events.
Without a doubt, the most common question that parents have is regarding candy and junk food. I know, for some, sneaking in candy and junk food into camp feels like a “right of passage” and perhaps reminds them of their childhood days when they were campers. But, I would ask all of you to think about what you would allow your son to consume in your home in a given day. The amount of candy and junk food that comes into camp is excessive and creates great anxiety for our campers. All of our boys in Senior camp will be leaving on their extended trips within a day or two after visiting day, therefore all leftover candy will be collected and given to a local charity.
Warrior and Junior campers will have an opportunity to enjoy their candy at Saturday Night at the Movies. Any leftover candy will be collected on Sunday morning and given to a local charity. Please be advised that, while we will not invest time policing candy during visiting day, we will absolutely take it from your son once you depart. Please help us by not creating that unnecessary stress on your child.
While departure time can be very emotional for parents and sons, the faster you are able to say goodbye, the easier it will be for your son to transition back into his camp routine. We will have an organized lineup by division at 4:45. At this time, all campers, counselors and guests will assemble at their respective line-up areas. Group leaders will announce that this is the time to say goodbye to your children. If you are concerned that your son will have difficulty saying goodbye, please ask one of his counselors to be there to assist you.
By the time your son has reached the dining room for dinner, he will already begin to assimilate back into his camp routine. Throughout the day, I will be stationed down by the waterfront and in the dining room during mealtime. I look forward to a spectacular weekend and seeing all of you.
