It is officially summertime and in the horse world that means it is show season and camp season. Oh the joys of summer camp. My love of teaching summer camps has declined rapidly with each passing year but I firmly believe that every single teenager and young adult out there needs to work at or run a summer camp for at least one summer of their life. I also believe that every child should get the chance to experience summer camp, not just for the awesome memories but for the life long learning that it will inspire...and I don't mean you will want to be an engineer after a week of summer camp but Lord help you if you don't learn some manners during that week.
In today's world of video games, constant tv and internet access, smartphones and iPads it is no wonder that many kids don't grow up outside....craziness. Summer camp gives kids the chance to be a kid! You would be shocked at how many kids I see that beg me to wash their hands after getting horse slobber on them or will walk all the way around a little bit of mud on the ground. Kids are supposed to have fun and get a little dirty and summer camp gives them the chance to do just that...sorry but that videogame just doesn't cut it.
Summer camp will give most kids a crash course in manners. Summer camp counselors have the ever exhausting task of taking care of a fairly large group of kids and often times they are all yelling out questions or requests at the same time, but guess what? Counselors are pretty good at finding the one quiet, polite child in the group and making sure to call on them first. It is amazing to see how quickly children figure out that manners are rewarded.
Summer camp allows kids to explore their interests and make friends with similar interests. There is usually one kid on the first day of camp that is bouncing off the walls but once you figure out what that kid wants to learn about they will be the first one to volunteer to help out and most likely the one that will take the most away from what they learned at camp.
Summer camp creates awesome childhood memories! I would never ever go back and undo any of the summer camps that I attended as a child, I love all of my crazy, gross, exhausted memories from each and every camp. Not many childhood memories are going to top the summer of "pinky pees a lot" when Sarah and I attended Camp Potomac Woods. ( Perhaps that story will have to be told at my wedding...hmmmm)
God bless all of the summer camp counselors out there. It is a tiring job that will often times lead you to swearing off having any children in your lifetime...which leads me to the first reason you should work at summer camp.
Summer camp is the best birth control ever! Day 1 of teaching any summer camp will make you reconsider wanting children. Perhaps working summer camp should be a new requirement for all high school students.
Summer camp will make you realize how important it is to teach manners. Again day 1 of any summer camp and you will be insistent on the fact that should you ever decide to have children they will be raised to say "yes m'aam" and "no sir" so help you.
Teaching summer camp also shows you just how lucky you are to have had the chance at such great memories, not every kid gets to go play outside or make new friends at summer camp and you will quickly realize how special those memories are that your campers are making. You also get the chance to make a difference in each of your campers' days and lives, the difference might be as small as making them feel like part of the group or as big as opening up a new interest path for the rest of their life.
One of the best parts of being a summer camp counselor are the awesome people you meet along the way and the amazing places you get the chance to see. I was lucky enough to work at a camp in Alaska! I cherish every single one of those memories and all of the amazing people I met along the way.
The coolest "wranglers" ever
Heading out to swim the horses in the lake!
So as I head into my first full week of equestrian camp this coming week I will try to keep in mind all of the amazing things that happen during summer camp, I will also attempt to keep my sanity and patience....I may be getting too old for summer camp!
But send your kid to camp to make some lasting memories or send them off to work at camp for the awesome memories and the life lessons. Added bonus? You will get the best sleep of your life after a week of teaching summer camp!
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