CHAPTER 12
OPENING DAY
OPENING DAY JITTERS
Opening day is special, but also a bit hectic...for everyone. Campers are anxious to learn about their cabin assignment, meet their cabin leader and fellow campers, and perform well on the swim check. Parents are nervous about leaving their child in someone else’s care, wondering whether their child will
love camp as much as they did, and uncertain what the next few weeks will be like without their son or daughter at home. Cabin leaders are tense about meeting parents, remembering their former campers’ names, and being judged by new campers. The rest of the staff is worried about parking, registration, and suddenly having to feed all the new campers. Directors are nervous about everything. They have worked for ten months to prepare for this one single day.
Parents and kids can successfully navigate opening day when they are organized and prepared—both mentally and physically. Here’s how, in six simple steps.
1. MAKE A TRAVEL PLAN
Some families will be driving directly from home, or from a relative’s house, to camp. Others will be driving their child to a bus terminal, airport, or train station. Whatever your child’s exact route to camp, estimate first how much time you need to drive to camp, or to the bus, plane, or train. Then, add an hour or two. This will allow time to stop and buy a pillow, toothpaste, or whatever you or your child suddenly remember you forgot. Use any leftover time to visit with one another before you say good-bye.
Plan the trip to be relaxing, regardless of your mode of transportation. If camp opens in the afternoon, plan a stop for lunch. Remember, though, that if the camp is in a small town, roads and restaurants may be congested with your child’s future cabin mates. If registration begins early in the morning, and camp is far from home, it’s sometimes easier to stay overnight near the camp. A little planning now will minimize problems later. Being hungry, late, or sleepy can quickly turn the excitement of opening day into stress. This is a happy day, so make a plan that allows for a snag or two. If problems do arise, don’t panic.
OPENING DAY
When I was a camper, I counted the days until camp opened. The arrival of warm weather was the first welcome sign. Then, school ended and my anticipation mounted. Twenty-four hours before opening day, my parents and I hurried to pack. Finally, opening day dawned and we headed to camp. We would leave in the morning, drive a few hours, stop to buy a pillow or a toothbrush (which it seems I almost always forgot), and then have lunch in the small town close to camp. I was excited but nervous; eager but wary. Camp meant fun and seeing old friends, but it also meant new friends and new experiences, and thus a bit of uncertainty. Even to this day, a wave of anxious excitement comes over me as I cover the last few miles to the familiar sign that welcomes me home to camp.
-Hank, age 23, 5th year cabin leader
-Hank, age 23, 5th year cabin leader
OPENING DAY JITTERS
Opening day is special, but also a bit hectic...for everyone. Campers are anxious to learn about their cabin assignment, meet their cabin leader and fellow campers, and perform well on the swim check. Parents are nervous about leaving their child in someone else’s care, wondering whether their child will
Parents and kids can successfully navigate opening day when they are organized and prepared—both mentally and physically. Here’s how, in six simple steps.
1. MAKE A TRAVEL PLAN
Some families will be driving directly from home, or from a relative’s house, to camp. Others will be driving their child to a bus terminal, airport, or train station. Whatever your child’s exact route to camp, estimate first how much time you need to drive to camp, or to the bus, plane, or train. Then, add an hour or two. This will allow time to stop and buy a pillow, toothpaste, or whatever you or your child suddenly remember you forgot. Use any leftover time to visit with one another before you say good-bye.
Plan the trip to be relaxing, regardless of your mode of transportation. If camp opens in the afternoon, plan a stop for lunch. Remember, though, that if the camp is in a small town, roads and restaurants may be congested with your child’s future cabin mates. If registration begins early in the morning, and camp is far from home, it’s sometimes easier to stay overnight near the camp. A little planning now will minimize problems later. Being hungry, late, or sleepy can quickly turn the excitement of opening day into stress. This is a happy day, so make a plan that allows for a snag or two. If problems do arise, don’t panic.
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