Checking-in for the Anxious Camper
Pre-camp jitters are common among campers but in all honesty, don’t we all get jitters when faced with new experiences? The day camp begins is filled with a sense of excitement and anticipation from the moment our campers and camp staff wake-up. Who will be at camp this year? Which bunk will I get? What games will we play? Who will be in my cabin? What will eat? All that anticipation can culminate during the check-in at camp.
Let’s take a look at the camp check-in from our kids perspective. A lot of camps have similar check-in procedures as Midsummer Bible Camp but they can differ slightly. Let’s take a look starting with pulling into camp.
As a kid, we pass through the gate and the road turns to gravel and we know we are about to say “Goodbye parents!” for almost a full week! There are some mixed emotions. Did I forget anything? I wonder if my friend is here yet? Who is that?
The car parks and mom/dad/guardian starts reminding me of what to do next and what not to leave in the car. We leave all of our stuff in the car for now, except for my medications, and head to the big log cabin looking building to check-in. There’s a few people ahead of us and more cars pulling in. This whole camp already feels alive. Do I know that person? Do they go to school with me?
I have to wait for a minute and then the people checking us in welcome us and ask for my name. They tell us we’re checked in and that we will talk to the nurse if we have medications and then we’ll be pointed in the direction of our cabin where one of our counselors awaits. Everything goes quickly and soon I have a name tag and we are headed back to the car to unpack.
My parents help grab my stuff and we head off to the cabin. We meet the counselor, my dad tells them that they’ll have to keep an eye on me which is kind of embarrassing but it makes me happy on the inside. We pick out a bunk and we make the bed. Now it’s time for my parents to go. This is a weird moment because I’m excited for camp but I’m going to miss my parents. We walk back up to the mess hall where we started and I tell them bye.
They can come see me each night at 7pm for our worship service but otherwise I’m a camper till pick-up on Friday. FREEDOM! and a little bit of unease; it’s hard to be away from home for so long but camp is going to be an adventure! My parents leave and before they make it out of the parking lot I’m headed over to check out the games and see who’s here. There’s basketball, volleyball, Gaga, swings, and a whole bunch of kids to meet.
There are a lot of thoughts that come with a 20 minute drop-off. Depending on your child there are a lot of opportunities for fear and unease to sneak in. How can we help our kids feel more comfortable coming to camp? Is there anything we can say or maybe not say that can help? Absolutely!
Build Excitement
Starting a few days before camp we can start talking to our kids about the fun things they will do at camp and create realistic expectations for the excitement that awaits. There’s a pool, basketball tournament, volleyball tournament, Gaga Ball, frisbees, CAN JAM, crafts, and there’s a chance your camper will take the trek down to the creek. Campers will also get to learn something new about the Bible and learn new songs. They will also get to meet new people and make new friends.
Avoid “I’ll Miss You”
There are a couple things that we can say that can lay the groundwork for homesickness. One of those is “I’ll miss you.” This phrase is said in love but can quickly lead to our kids fixating on the fact that they’ll miss you too and for a whole week. If mom and/or dad are leaving and one of the last things they leave our camper with is “I’ll miss you” it can immediately begin festering thoughts of fear and uncertainty. It’s also worth noting that saying that their beloved pet is going to miss them and not know what to do can be even more devastating to the child. That pet is likely their responsibility and how easy it is for them to start to question if they are making the right choice “abandoning” their pet for a week. In those moments of homesickness this can become another fixation and justification for them to feel like they have to go home. There are a few phrases we can use in place of “We’ll miss you”, such as:
“I cannot wait to hear all about your time at camp.”
“Your counselor is going to take such good care of you. I bet you can ask them anything.”
“We love you so much and we are so excited that you get to go to camp! Have fun!”
Avoid Excitement the Camper Will Miss
Life continues outside of camp and sometimes exciting things can happen that our kids are going to miss out. Maybe the parents head off on a vacation, buy a new car, help grandma move, or work on the house. Any of these can be really big life moments that our kids may hate to miss out on. To avoid creating FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) we can down play these events in a few ways. That vacation you’re taking could be for adults only or a business trip. That new car you bought took hours of sitting in the dealership signing papers. Helping grandma move is going to be a lot of work and driving back and forth and waiting. That work on the house is something that the kid couldn’t help out with and it was really loud. Downplaying the amount of change that is going to occur can also help your kid avoid FOMO. Camp should really be the center of their excitement because they are about to have a week of fun!
Give the Camper a Task
That separation at check-in can go two ways. Our kids already have their feet pointed where they are going to go next and are waiting for you to leave or they have those jitters we’ve been talking about. When it’s time to say goodbye and they velcro to you let’s see what kind of job we can give them. Something simple like:
I wonder how many swings camp has? Can you count them for me and tell me about it at the end of camp?
I wonder what color the Gaga balls are? You’ll have to let me know which one is the best one.
I wonder who the tallest counselor is? Can you figure that out and tell me at the end of the week?
Now these tasks are aimed at our younger campers and that’s where we see the most separation anxiety but we can also do this on a higher level with older campers as well.
Anxiety Decreased, Healthy Anticipation Increased
Hopefully these give you a few ideas of how to dissuade pre-camp jitters and help you prepare your camper for success. If this is your campers first time at camp check out the “My Child’s First Time at Camp, How to make it a success!” article for another look at ways to help our kids succeed at camp!