About a week ago, I posted a piece about “the top 10 reasons to send your kid to camp.” It was read by people all over the world.
The biggest concern people had was, “we can get kids to go to camp, but getting adults to go with them is the tough part.” So, to answer that, I thought I’d give you the top 10 reasons to go with your child to camp. The other comment that came up a lot was, “Because I get to go to.”
So, in that light, here’s 10 reasons that you should volunteer to take the time to go to camp with your child. You owe it to yourself.
Note: Please make sure you follow the rules of the camp, and the organization your child belongs to. In some rare cases, they may not have enough bedding for you, or there may be some training required before attendance. Please respect those requirements. Also, remember that your child’s camping experience isn’t about you. You still need to let them have their program, and they still need to do things for themselves as any other child would. You may be required to register as an adult leader.
#10 It’s Scientifically Proven that Camp Sleep is the Best Sleep
A study in Current Biology Journal shows that spending a week outside can help restore your natural circadian rhythm, and help you sleep better. I’m sure you’re all avid readers of Current Biology, so this is no surprise to you. But it makes sense that being outdoors, and living more according to the natural rhythms of day and night would help you get better sleep.
By the way, a nap in a wall tent with all the flaps rolled up on a nice July afternoon (when all the kids are off doing program) may be the most relaxing activity on the face of the Earth. Especially if you’ve got a day with the temperatures in the 70’s with a nice breeze. Nothing beats it.
Make sure you have a good bug net, you don’t want your great sleep interrupted by mosquitoes.
#9 Volunteers Make Great Program Happen
It’s not about being with your kid 100% of the time. There are hundreds of things that need doing at a camp, and the more volunteers they have, the more of them can actually get done. Camps always have a wish list of projects in a wide variety of areas. It could be a conservation project. It could be a building maintenance project. But there’s always something that you could do to be helpful. Don’t be pushy, but offers of help will be greeted with gratitude in most situations.
Everybody is good at something. You could be a great carpenter. It’s possible you’re an excellent cook. You could be great at leading a song, or telling a story, or a joke. Maybe you’re a great listener. There is something that you’re good at, and the kids will benefit from your awesomeness.
#8 You’ll Can Learn A Lot By Watching
(Any time I can throw in a gratuitous Yogi Berra quote, I’m going to do it. You’ve been warned.)
You’ll get to watch other parents deal with their kids. Are they doing things differently than you are? Do they have strategies you could integrate into your own parenting style?
It’s also a great thing to watch kids learn practical problem-solving among themselves. You get to watch the older kids become leaders. You get to watch older adult leaders work. You can see behind the curtain of how some of the things they do that sound crazy actually have a perfectly sound reasoning to them. One troop in Connecticut does a “Watermelon Spit-Off” every Tuesday that they’re at summer camp. At first glance, this can be off-putting to a lot of parents… until they realize that the kids love it… and that it pretty much forces reluctant 11-year-olds to take the showers they so desperately need after a hot day of playing outdoors.
#7 Be A Good Influence on Their Friends
Growing up, our friends are a huge influence on us. Some have suggested that our peers are an even bigger influence on us than our parents are. I’m not so sure I completely believe that, but our friends have an influence on us. Being at camp is a great opportunity for you to get to know your child’s friends – and to be a positive influence on them. Young people are looking for role models, and at a certain stage of development, they’re looking for role models who aren’t their parents. There are times when we need someone other than mom or dad to tell us that our parents are right. That’s one of the great things about Scouting. There were times when I was 14 and arguing with my parents that I’d take exactly the same lesson from my Scout leaders.
#6 Making Connections
You’ll get to meet people from all walks of life in a unique environment. You’ll get to meet the other leaders in your group, and the leaders in other groups. The other leaders at camp will have a wealth of experience that you can draw on. It’s possible that you could make some great business connections. You could get the answer to “Honey, do you know any plumbers?” the next time such an emergency strikes around the house. You will certainly meet people who will inspire you with their dedication to the program.
#5 There’s An Energy At Camp Unlike Any Other Place on Earth
You can feel the difference when the kids leave camp. It’s eerie. There’s a feeling of camp that cannot be summed up in words. It’s more than just the absence of their laughter and loud conversations. There’s a spirit of camp that cannot be accurately described, and I think this has a lot to do with why people keep coming back to scout camp long after their kids have grown.
#4 You’ll Get to Know Your Child in an Entirely New Way
You’ll get out of your usual home routine with the family. The usual parent-child dynamic will get changed a little, and you’ll be doing a lot more stuff with your child. They’ll see you as a leader, not just as mom or dad. You’ll see them accomplishing things, and hopefully cleaning up after themselves. Camp is a great place to teach kids independence. They have responsibilities for taking care of not just themselves, but of others as well. You’ll have a fun shared experience that neither of you will ever forget.
#3 You’ll Be Inspired
Camp is the setting for countless inspirational moments. They’re literally around every corner. I’ll give you one of my favorite examples. It took place at Camp Roosevelt in Eddington, Maine.
I was walking up to meet some people at the climbing tower, when I saw something on the trail that I’ll never forget. Three pretty burly men were pushing a scout in a wheelchair up the trail. It took three men because this trail was extremely rocky and gravely. Getting a wheelchair up this trail required a herculean effort. It takes an awful lot of love and dedication. I actually teared up a little watching it.
When they got the young man up to the COPE and Climbing area, with the help of the camp staff, they hooked him up to the “Flying Squirrel.” It’s essentially a giant pulley system for lifting a person into the air at a great rate of speed.
They didn’t lift him up at a great rate of speed, but they did lift him about 10 feet off the ground. He started screaming bloody murder. They lowered him back down, and as he looked at them, a huge smile came to his face.
“THAT WAS GREAT!” he said with a grin that didn’t leave his face the rest of the day.
I got to be there when that happened, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.
#2 You’ll Have More Fun than they will
They’ll have a blast – and so will you. You may even have more fun than them because you know to change your socks. You’ll know that going swimming in the lake isn’t a substitute for taking a shower. Camp people tend to be really, really funny people
You’ll get to be a kid again. Don’t be afraid of jumping in the pond, giving the climbing wall a try, or taking aim at the rifle range. If you’ve never done these things before, you’ll have a blast doing them for the first time. If you’ve been doing them all for decades, doing them with your child will make them seem like a completely new experience.
#1 Be There for the “Big Moment”
One of my favorite volunteers in the world is a nice lady from central Maine. She started a new Cub Scout pack, and has kept it going in a tiny town for a long time. Her oldest son has some physical challenges with one of his legs. It’s required multiple surgeries, and meant that he’s endured more pain than any child should have to go through. It’s also limited his participation in sports, and made him miss portions of his schooling.
When her oldest went to resident camp for the first time, he did the Webelos adventure overnight in the woods, out of camp, sleeping on the other side of the pond from his pack’s campsite. While this may seem tame to you and me, to the kids, it was like spending an evening on the moon. The next morning, when he came back across the pond in a canoe, his mother was there to meet him at the shore. They got to share a beautiful moment of pride and accomplishment.
That’s camp. You owe it to yourself to go.
Photo by djuggler 
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