Recently, I heard from a parent that her son was “counting down the days until summer camp.” She went on to tell me that he revered his counselors from last summer, so much so that he still recounted his experiences from July, on a daily basis. She continued on to describe her astonishment at the tremendous and lasting impact Camp had seemed to have on her son, illustrating the transformation he had undergone during his two weeks with us. She referred to the fact that he’d returned home with a sense of self-efficacy he’d been lacking before. She marveled at the new friendships he’d forged and maintained. She delighted in his newfound interest in nature.

“It’s as if you all have helped me parent him,” she said. “All of these character developments are an outcome of Camp.”

As she thanked me and hung up the phone, I couldn’t help but consider our four core values: caring, honesty, respect and responsibility – and, then readily concur. Yes, indeed. We are partners in parenting.

by Meghan Hill