"What are your kids up to this summer?"
This is a popular conversation of many working parents each spring:
Where will YOUR kids be during business hours this summer?
Our girls do summer school, but we've also done an annual day camp each year. When I told people that THIS YEAR our girls (7 & 8) were going to try a 4-day overnight camp, parents often stared at me. Facial expressions were consistently disapproving, but actual responses varied...
Where are you sending them?
Wow. They're going to miss you.
Do you think they can handle that?
The true question was, "Could I handle it?"
Usually these conversations would happen in passing, but if I had the time to sit down and truly chat this is what I would say to you...
Where are you sending them?
Every years our girls earn money by hosting a rummage sale so they can attend horse camp. We want the girls to understand the value of a dollar; they WORK for the camp fee. We split the cost 50/50. By the way, you wouldn't believe what people are willing to pay for lemonade when a child tells them they are saving up for horse camp.
What we love about this camp, is that the children WORK when they get there, too. It's not all about the riding. The children are required to care for their horse. For example, they need to feed their horse lunch before they are allowed to eat lunch. I love that. This all-girls camp offers an overnight option and our ladies wanted to go for it. We didn't want to stand in the way if they felt ready.
Wow. They're going to miss you.
Yeah... not so much. The camp is amazing.
Do you think they can handle 4-days overnight?
One word: SISTERS. My ladies have each other.
The drastic way people would respond to my causal mention of overnight camp started to rattle me. Can they handle it? I started asking my husband if we were making the right decision. Should we make the girls wait another year?
I knew in my heart that they could handle it. The REAL question was: What if they need ME? What if there was an emergency and they needed ME, their MOM.
The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence. —Denis Waitley
The girls blossomed during camp. They came back with memories that will last a lifetime.
I'd like to hear more about YOUR family experiences, let's chat.
Happy Trails,
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