It is difficult to believe that we are ending the first week of camp. In such a short period, our boys have adjusted to their routines. Our little boys have become so comfortable that they stroll around and see camp as their rather large backyard.
I got a kick out of watching our Crows (finishing first grade) come out of the water after their instructional swim period, then make their way to the wall where they grabbed a fresh towel, wrapped it around themselves, and made their way back to the bunk where they changed before heading off to their second team sport of the day. I smiled, thinking of how many parents would have been holding that towel for their child so that they could dry them off and rinse the sand off their feet before slipping into their Crocs. It sounds like a little thing, but our little guys are developing an appropriate sense of independence.
They make their beds every morning and are responsible for putting their clothes in their laundry bags, cleaning the tables after meals, and working as a family group to keep the bunk clean throughout the day. It has only been a week, yet it has become abundantly clear that our boys feel like they belong and that this is their home away from home.
I am reminded of a camper who came to see me on the second day of camp and told me that while the facility was very beautiful, he thought this was not a good fit for him. It did not take long to realize he missed his parents, and as he intimated, he was “homesick.” I told this little boy that just like there is no immediate cure when you go to the doctor with a terrible earache, there is no magic pill that makes everything better. While the doctor would prescribe an antibiotic that would, over time, make the pain go away, the same would hold if this boy took a dose of tennis, sailing, swimming, and woodworking throughout his day. I continued with this analogy by promising this boy that within a few days of taking this healthy dose of fun, he would wake up one day and realize his sickness was gone. Today was that day.
As I looked out to the beach and saw a group of boys playing running bases, I noticed that one of those boys was the little guy in my office who told me this was not the right fit. I did not want to interrupt him in the middle of his game to revisit that initial discussion, but it certainly made me smile, knowing that I was witnessing the healing.
