The Case for Camp

I’m very excited that my daughter is going to learn how to be a leader this summer.  At camp.

Yup, my daughter is going to attend a camp in a beautiful setting (with a swimming pool, of course, and stables too!)  that really focuses on the importance of team-building, teamwork and the willingness to do what’s best for the group and for each other.  Like at McDonald’s.

Wow.  What a difference from the days of The Parent Trap and nasty girl practical jokes played on fellow campers that usually involved sticky stuff and sometimes S’mores.

Actually, my daughter’s camp will probably have S’mores, but it will also have some really cool chores too, like gardening and working with farm animals and bundling hay and who knows what else (cabin and latrine cleaning?)

In my view, this is going to revolutionize things in my household because my daughter (and her teammates, of course) will have to do things like cleaning, setting the table, making meals, etc.  Remember:  my kid has breakfast in bed most days.

When I told my daughter that I wanted to send her to this camp – a camp that one of her best friends attended last summer and loved – she expressed concern (primarily about milking and feeding farm animals, but not only that).  I countered with the “independence” argument; she wants to be more independent and learning how to do things is one of the prerequisites for independence.  Makes sense to me, but she’s not necessarily buying it.

Next up:  She has to pass the interview for attending camp.  (I passed as her parent, so I’m pretty sure she will too. The place isn’t free, afterall, if you get what I’m saying).  I’m counting on her turning in a stellar interview performance; her 3-week stay at this camp is essential for ensuring I don’t burn through all my annual leave so she can have the summer of her dreams (specifically, no summer school). 

Now I’ll only have 15 more days to cover, scattered throughout the months of June, July and August.  That’s equivalent to only 3 work weeks.  Sigh.

Wish I could go to camp.