Passover, Easter, and spring vacations are over. Soon the cute bunnies, matzah and spring allergies will be a distant memory.
So, if you’re a parent of a school-aged child, now is the time that the panic about what to do with the summer starts. It’s almost like we can hear the clock ticking like an old-fashioned kitchen timer (the kind with the dial) in our heads. The click-tick, tick-click counts down the weeks until the school year routine ends.
And, if the ticking weren’t loud enough, the voices of our internal conversations add to the din. We ask ourselves all kinds of questions about camp:
“Will she/he/they like camp?”
“Am I sending my kid to camp for them or for me?”
“Can I handle being apart from them?”
“Who will make sure he showers?” or “What if he doesn’t shower?”
“What will she eat?” or “What will she refuse to eat?”
“Will they get enough sleep?”
“Will I have anything to say to my partner without them/him/her around?”
Some of these questions seem logical, rational and reasonable. Most of them are also typical but they are tinged with an overlay of our modern way of parenting. The underlying feeling of worry, need for planning and desire for a sense of structure is woven through them.
Years ago, when I was in the throes of dealing with a rush of emotions before a trip away from my daughter, a friend asked me, “What will happen if you just let David (my husband) figure it out?” (She meant what’s the worst thing that could happen if….) “She’ll be alive and well when you see her next. Right?”
“Of course! Right,” I had to admit.
I was reminded of this conversation and the desire to do more than was needed by a Sunshine Parenting blog post entitled “10 ways to do LESS and be a MORE effective parent.”
Maybe camp is another way to do less and be more effective.
To find out about camp or apply for a first-time camper grant, go to www.cjp.org/camping.