There’s an adjustment period that takes place when children go to camp. This adjustment is often harder for parents than it is for their offspring. For so many of us, we spend every waking hour focused on the welfare of our children. While some parents embrace the change of pace and even the peace and quiet, others roam around the house and look for ways to fill the enormous void. It is rumored that some might even visit their children’s rooms and smell their pillows just to smell that missing scent.
While some wait for pictures to be posted at the end of the day to attempt to forensically piece together their child’s day, their son is thriving. I know that most of us would define “thriving” in a camp experience as sheer euphoria: bandanas across the forehead, war paint spread across the face, sports and waterfront activities, cheering all day until one falls asleep due to exhaustion after a full day of play. But I define “thriving” as one’s ability to step away from his most comfortable environment and learn how to navigate for oneself while being surrounded by constant encouragement.
Our children are coming off a school year when they are scheduled, and some might claim over-scheduled, from morning until night often leaving the house in the morning without a proper breakfast, rushing to school for a packed day of classes. Somehow, when school ends, they barely have enough time to change for their first activity of the afternoon: team practice, tennis lessons, tutoring, or Hebrew school. Many of our kids are so programmed that there is little or no time for spontaneous play. When there’s a free moment, our children often bury their heads into a tablet, laptop, or cell phone.
Your children are here with us, and they are thriving. They wake up every morning to the sound of reveille and bright sunshine peeking through their bunk windows. They make their beds and sweep the bunk floor. They fold their clothing and keep their personal belongings neatly in their cubbies. Your kids are thriving. They navigate around our dining room, pick from a variety of food items, and know that they need to advocate for themselves if they are hungry. Your kids are thriving. They have to grab their shin guards, tennis racquets, and any gear needed to participate in their daily activities.
We are a week into the season, and I can appreciate how you are running to the mailbox in hopes of gleaning some information. Many of you have never gone a day without speaking with your child, and the lack of communication can be overwhelming, but your son is thriving. He’s thriving because you have prepared him for this opportunity. You have given him the self-confidence and inner strength to be able to step away from his most comfortable environment and learn to thrive.
Your son is learning patience and empathy toward his bunkmates and peers. He’s experiencing what it means to be self-reliant, to have determination, to go through incredible highs without the cheers from his greatest cheerleaders, and to manage some disappointment with resilience.
This is the essence of summer camp. Your son is thriving.
