As a camp director, I cherish the role of being a surrogate father to your children. As most of you know, I have two sets of twins ages eleven and thirteen. My daughters attend my girl’s camp, Tripp Lake Camp, which is directed by my sister Leslie Konigsberg Levy. My girls rarely see me during the summer, only on the occasional “brother sister days,” because I spend 100% of my time at Camp Takajo. My boys have managed to carve out their own experiences at camp. I am proud to say that they never take advantage of the fact that their dad “runs the place.”
The other day, there were try-outs for a 14-and-under basketball team. Knowing that my son loved basketball, I must admit my curiosity got the best of me, and I asked which campers made the A team. I learned that Max’s name was not on the list. Since Max is only thirteen, I wasn’t alarmed. However, I later found out that Max didn’t even try out for the team.
Having spent my career working with children, I knew instinctively not to get involved. However, that emotional gene that we all have when we become parents reared its ugly head. I saw Max in the dining room, and, as casually as I could, I asked him why he didn’t try out for the 14-and-under A basketball team. Max looked at me and said, “Dad, I just turned 13 years old, and I will have plenty opportunity to play basketball within my age group. I tried out for the 14-and-under B team, and I am likely to get more playing time.”
I must admit, like most parents, I would love to see my son starring on the A team court, but I found his perspective to be quite refreshing. We offer all of our campers who have finished fourth grade and up, the opportunity to represent the camp in a wide variety of sports during inter-camp play. What Max reminded me of today is that what matters most, is playing. Playing for the sheer enjoyment of it. We should not be hung up on the status of a particular team.
