Car Conversations

You know you have a tween or teen when you have been assigned to the role of "driver" of your child and seemingly half of their friends. The "down side" is that you spend a lot of time waiting in parking lots for your passengers (you are not "allowed" in the school - what if someone saw you!?!)

The "Up Side" is that you have a lot of time during which to actually have a conversation with your child(ren).

One of our camper moms, Ann shared a "car conversation" that she had with her 14 year old daughter recently. Ann had just attended a PTA discussion regarding the pressure today's kids, especially high schoolers are under at school, socially and extra-curricularly. Following the PTA meeting, Ann picked up her daughter, Monica and 2 other friends from their evening dance class. As they were traveling along, Ann asked the girls if they felt that they were under pressure.

They all answered instantly with, "YES!". Ann asked what the pressure was and where was it coming from. The girls responded that they felt pressure to get good grades, be social, look a certain way, and do well at extra curricular activities. They also told Ann that they really felt the pressure was peer pressure and in many cases pressure that they put on themselves.

Then Monica broke in with, "You know, I think that's why Camp is so important to me. There's no pressure there, everyone is treated the same, every is equal."

Ann called me the next day to tell me about this conversation and to express her happiness that Monica has Camp to provide that get away from the pressures of life today.

We strive to have every camper feel valued, have a sense of belonging and to discover the best in themselves. It is heartening and inspiring when parents and campers provide evidence that our efforts are paying off.

Special thanks to this extraordinary mom and daughter for sharing!