We love our August girls.They bring such joy to us at the end of our summer season. These girls have waited all summer for their Keystone experience. They are so happy to finally have their chance to enjoy being at camp. Just 32% are brand new to us this summer, and potentially, to camping in general. Their enthusiasm is contagious. Just the way to finish out a great summer!
The decision to send a child to camp is HUGE. It is also a whole family decision. You are trusting us to care for your daughter during her session. You are giving your girl the chance to discover her own strengths. You are not available to answer her questions about how or what she should do. She learns to navigate her world with the support of her counselors and our staff. She is learning to share space with others; having to think about someone else when making decisions. We are here to help in this process, and we are physically here to participate in the actual situation. We are able to respond quickly should coaching be necessary. A problem that happened this morning could well be resolved completely by rest hour. The email you may receive was written before the issue was solved. Time makes a big difference. We want each girl to have a great time at camp so that they return year after year, and we want each of you to feel you are a valuable partner in this process.
Day 3 of a session is a busy day for answering the phones in the office (it certainly did not help anyone that our internet was on the fritz and we have a VOIP phone system). This is where your patience as a parent is being tested. Perhaps you have only seen 1-2 pictures of your daughter since she arrived. You may not have received any letters from her as snail mail takes a few days. Maybe she misplaced her email response sheet and has been too busy to ask for a replacement, so no emails have made it home. If anything was wrong, you would hear from us directly. You just need a little reassurance that all is going well for her. Perhaps this is your first time sending your child to camp. Welcome to walking the camp parent line. How best can I be there for my daughter but yet, trust and support the camp experience?
Of course, that thought led me immediately to Johnny Cash’s song, “I Walk the Line.” He has some lyrics that are pretty prescient for our parent journey:
I keep a close watch on this heart of mine I keep my eyes wide open all the time I keep the ends out for the tie that binds Because you’re mine, I walk the line
It is always a challenge to balance ourselves between taking care of our children and allowing our children to become independent people. We understand how precious your daughter is to you. We know how much thought and intention you put into your decisions as her parent. You have chosen to give your daughter a camp experience. Very thankfully, camp is still a wonderful place of innocence and magic. It is not always perfect, but know that we have your daughter’s best interest in mind in everything we do. We want to see your daughter grow in her camp experience. We want her to achieve goals, to make friends, to trust her counselors and our staff, and to enjoy new experiences. Most importantly, we want her to feel a sense of belonging to something larger than herself.
Thank you for partnering with us for the best interests of your daughter. We could not do it without you!
