During the summers I spent as a cabin counselor, I was always in the youngest girls cabin. As you would imagine, in a cabin with kids as young as six, homesickness was a frequent problem. Many of my campers had never been away from home before, and this often inspired a round of tears on Sunday evening around bedtime. Often this homesickness is contagious, but in most cases it was an easy fix. Magic mints, special stuffed animals, and a little bit of individual attention can go a long way. Occasionally though, there was a camper that would have a little bit of a harder time adjusting, and they might spend not only Sunday night, but also some of Monday, breaking out into sobs.
My absolute favorite thing about being a counselor was when these kids who had the more intense cases of homesickness at the beginning of the week would come up to me after Friday night campfire, when everyone was saying their goodbyes, with tears streaming down their faces. Sobbing, they would inform me that they wanted to stay all summer, and that they were absolutely not ready to go home the next morning. While I never like seeing campers cry, these particular tears were a bit of a triumph for me.
Seeing a camper who starts out the week adamant that they want to go home become the camper who can't stop crying because they have to leave in the morning might be one of the single most rewarding experiences of my life. In that moment, you know that one of your campers has experienced the magic that is the reason you work at camp, and you have been a part of that magic. It's a beautiful thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment