Hey, Camp Fans!
I’m thrilled to say that we had our best turnout yet for our annual Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! Your camp stories were great! I had such a fun time reading through them all and now I’m excited to share them with all our readers online! We’re posting each submission right here on the Blog!
Since I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions. The following post is from Kelly M. who wrote in to tell us about her perspective during her daughter’s summer stay at Camp Longhorn. Check it out:
“My 8-year-old daughter went to camp for her first time this year. She went to the same camp I spent more than 15 summers at. She and I were both so full of emotions leading up to the day I put her on that bus! We talked about how sometimes we feel more than one feeling at a time. Excited and nervous. Anxious and thrilled. Here were my thoughts the day after we loaded her (Everything Summer Camp) trunk in the bottom of that bus and waved goodbye until my husband and I couldn’t see the bus anymore: I'm trying not to let all my wonderings drive me crazy. Wondering what her bunk area looks like, did she get things hung and organized just the way she likes it, where in the cabin is she, did she finally decide top or bottom, did she get her bed made ok, what was the 1st activity that her cabin got to do, how cute is she reporting in at Swim Bay, what does she think of brushing her teeth outside, which pjs is she wearing, is she being shy or silly, is she loving it and not thinking of home or loving it and kinda homesick, what's her merit pin #, what kind of environment are her counselors creating, what is her reaction to Campfire, does she recognize ‘Taps’ and the other songs that I’ve sung to her since she was a baby, is that comforting or does it make her homesick, will she lay in bed unable to fall asleep, does she love sleeping to the sound of the lake and cicadas????? In my head, I can hear all the response of all the camp directors I’ve ever known: ‘Kel. Just trust. It’s allll good. You know better than anyone what great hands she’s in. Trust camp. Trust these amazing college girls that chose to spend their summer at camp. Trust your daughter. Now go have fun with your other two kiddos still at home waiting for their turn to come, when they’ll be 8-years-old and get to board that bus with their big sister.’”
Oh man…those are a LOT of wonderings! Sounds like your head did a bit of swimming this summer too. It makes sense that having had your own experience in the same setting likely aided your mind in running wild about your daughter’s time away! I’m glad you were eventually able to cool yourself down. I don’t have to tell you, but at summer camp, it truly is allll good! It’s great to get the parents’ side of a camp stay. If anybody else is interested in Camp Longhorn, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!
- John