ARE THESE YOUR GOALS?
Now that you know more about the goals of overnight camping, ask yourself: Are these my goals for my child? Kids, too, should ask themselves: Are these my goals? If so, then overnight camp is an excellent choice.
However, overnight camp is not for everyone. If the goals we’ve outlined above are incompatible with your own, or if they don’t seem to match your style, then you may wish to consider other options for leisure time. These include: day camp, extended stays with friends or relatives, a family vacation, various academic programs, community theater and art programs, lessons in a favorite activity, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or CampFire day programs, religious group activities, or some type of team or club, such as 4-H. Of course, you could also choose to do some of these alternatives and overnight camp.
LEARNING FROM A POSITIVE ADULT ROLE MODEL
There is one more goal of overnight camping. It’s not a goal that most kids think about, but it should be on the mind of every dedicated staff member at camp: Learning from a positive adult role model. Dedicated staff members want to be positive role models, and they want children to learn from
them. It is the quality of the camp staff, coupled with your child’s motivation, that will determine whether she achieves any of the goals of overnight camp. Without positive adult role models, none of the other goals can be fulfilled.
At this point, you might say, “Kids learn from their parents. Why do they need other role models?” There are two answers to this question. First, kids can and do learn from their parents, but even the best parent has limitations. Other positive adult role models can support, counsel, and lead your child in surprising ways that complement your own style. These other adults form what author Michael Gurian calls children’s “second family.” They help provide the protective guidance that author Mary Pipher calls “the fence at the top of the hill.”
Second, the mere fact that cabin leaders are not parents, changes kids’ outlooks. They behave differently when their parents aren’t around. They explore and take risks in different ways. They reach out for friendship and security, and find it, in ways that they never attempted before. Although they are authority figures, cabin leaders also function as campers’ peers. They are closer to campers’ ages than parents, and they can be especially playful and goofy. Considering the tremendous influence that peer groups have on children’s development, parents should work hard to find a camp where the cabin leaders serve as positive role models.
At the camp where we work, the guiding principle of our staff is leadership by example, or L.B.E. Each staff member is constantly striving to set a good example, knowing that kids emulate adults’ behavior, be it good or bad. Cabin leaders use proper manners, clean language, and good sportsmanship. They never ask a camper to do something that they themselves would not be willing to do. Perhaps the best example of L.B.E. that we ever saw was a bleary-eyed cabin leader who began picking up trash one morning after some raccoons had ransacked one of the camp dumpsters. He didn’t whisper a single obscenity, nor did he solicit anyone’s help. Yet within five minutes, there were 10 or 12 kids helping him throw all that disgusting trash back in the dumpster. His L.B.E. was his demonstrated willingness to do the right thing, even if it meant getting dirty. Campers respect leaders like that.
Unfortunately, many of the role models kids look up to, such as sports, movie, and music stars, have an unsavory side that can include ignorance, disdain for school, smoking, sexual promiscuity, drug use, or violence. Some parents ignore this dark side of pop culture role models in the interest of appeasing their child’s desire to fit in. At a good camp, you won’t have to look the other way. Your child will find real-life role models whose full range of behaviors are worthy and memorable; whose successes and failures teach much about the human side of achievement.
Even if the celebrity role model your child idolizes has uniformly positive traits, the chances of actually interacting face-to-face with that celebrity are minuscule. At a good camp, cabin leaders will be consistently available for close interpersonal interactions. It will be these wholesome, face-to-face interactions that will leave a lasting impression on your son or daughter.
Now that you know more about the goals of overnight camping, ask yourself: Are these my goals for my child? Kids, too, should ask themselves: Are these my goals? If so, then overnight camp is an excellent choice.
However, overnight camp is not for everyone. If the goals we’ve outlined above are incompatible with your own, or if they don’t seem to match your style, then you may wish to consider other options for leisure time. These include: day camp, extended stays with friends or relatives, a family vacation, various academic programs, community theater and art programs, lessons in a favorite activity, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or CampFire day programs, religious group activities, or some type of team or club, such as 4-H. Of course, you could also choose to do some of these alternatives and overnight camp.
LEARNING FROM A POSITIVE ADULT ROLE MODEL
There is one more goal of overnight camping. It’s not a goal that most kids think about, but it should be on the mind of every dedicated staff member at camp: Learning from a positive adult role model. Dedicated staff members want to be positive role models, and they want children to learn from
At this point, you might say, “Kids learn from their parents. Why do they need other role models?” There are two answers to this question. First, kids can and do learn from their parents, but even the best parent has limitations. Other positive adult role models can support, counsel, and lead your child in surprising ways that complement your own style. These other adults form what author Michael Gurian calls children’s “second family.” They help provide the protective guidance that author Mary Pipher calls “the fence at the top of the hill.”
Second, the mere fact that cabin leaders are not parents, changes kids’ outlooks. They behave differently when their parents aren’t around. They explore and take risks in different ways. They reach out for friendship and security, and find it, in ways that they never attempted before. Although they are authority figures, cabin leaders also function as campers’ peers. They are closer to campers’ ages than parents, and they can be especially playful and goofy. Considering the tremendous influence that peer groups have on children’s development, parents should work hard to find a camp where the cabin leaders serve as positive role models.
At the camp where we work, the guiding principle of our staff is leadership by example, or L.B.E. Each staff member is constantly striving to set a good example, knowing that kids emulate adults’ behavior, be it good or bad. Cabin leaders use proper manners, clean language, and good sportsmanship. They never ask a camper to do something that they themselves would not be willing to do. Perhaps the best example of L.B.E. that we ever saw was a bleary-eyed cabin leader who began picking up trash one morning after some raccoons had ransacked one of the camp dumpsters. He didn’t whisper a single obscenity, nor did he solicit anyone’s help. Yet within five minutes, there were 10 or 12 kids helping him throw all that disgusting trash back in the dumpster. His L.B.E. was his demonstrated willingness to do the right thing, even if it meant getting dirty. Campers respect leaders like that.
Unfortunately, many of the role models kids look up to, such as sports, movie, and music stars, have an unsavory side that can include ignorance, disdain for school, smoking, sexual promiscuity, drug use, or violence. Some parents ignore this dark side of pop culture role models in the interest of appeasing their child’s desire to fit in. At a good camp, you won’t have to look the other way. Your child will find real-life role models whose full range of behaviors are worthy and memorable; whose successes and failures teach much about the human side of achievement.
Even if the celebrity role model your child idolizes has uniformly positive traits, the chances of actually interacting face-to-face with that celebrity are minuscule. At a good camp, cabin leaders will be consistently available for close interpersonal interactions. It will be these wholesome, face-to-face interactions that will leave a lasting impression on your son or daughter.
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