As parents, we all want what is best for our children. From
the day they are born, we spend countless hours considering the right foods,
activities, schools, books, and even friends to help them grow into confident,
compassionate adults. We want to keep them close and protect them, but
sometimes what is best for our children is to let them go.
Let them go to a place of new adventures, new
responsibilities, new friends from all over the world and a new-found
opportunity to take risks and get to know themselves better. Where could such a
place exist, you ask? Why summer camp, of course.
Summer camp is more than just campfires and s’mores. Summer
camps strive to provide their campers with a community where they are
encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and take healthy risks. For some
boys, that risk might be making new friends. In the Boston Globe Magazine (2/22/2019) article entitled “At
Summer Camp, Friendships Blossom Without Technology”, author Meaghan O’Neill
says, “Camp is a controlled but
fun environment purpose-built for making friends.” Given the communal nature of
overnight camp, boys learn quickly how to live with each other, cope with
different personalities, and discover what qualities they value in a friend.
They hone their interpersonal skills without even realizing what an
“interpersonal skill” is. O’Neill continues, “Friends from school or the
neighborhood are known quantities. At summer camp, whether day or overnight,
kids are freer to bond without parental intervention. And that’s good for their
development.”
For other perhaps more seasoned campers, that risk might be
challenging themselves to master a new skill or experiment with activities they
have never tried before. William Lawrence’s Honor Society program challenges
campers to master and complete 18 skills ranging from building and successfully
lighting a fire in front of the whole camp (nerve-wracking) to spending a night
alone in the woods after felling a tree, building a fire, and setting up camp
for the night (even more nerve-wracking).
Have you ever played Australian rugby, shot an arrow through
the bull’s eye, sailed a boat on your own across a pristine lake, used
woodworking power tools, reached the top of the climbing tower or learned to
slalom waterski? These are just a few of the activities to explore, be
challenged by and eventually feel a sense of accomplishment whether the skills
were mastered or not. Sometimes just trying something new gives a boost of
confidence and willingness to try again.
At summer’s end, campers return home transformed into more
independent, compassionate, confident and helpful young men (they have to clean
their cabins and sort their own laundry!) ready to put their newly-discovered abilities
to work for the rest of the year.
Written by Board of Trustee Member and Camp parent, Seana Crellin
