For counselors and campers alike, camps and teen tours are meant to feel like home away from home. And that home is made special by our summer moms!
Group leaders, trip leaders, head counselors, activity leads – they are all in place to help your child grow, have fun, and be safe. Your child may be in a new environment, or perhaps returning to a place they have grown to feel comfortable in; either way, “camp moms” are there to foster the perfect setting for an amazing summer.
Before sending your child off for the summer, feel free to reach out the fellow “moms” out there. Here are a couple of ways parents (and kids!) can feel comforted by the summer stand-in parents:
- Reach out to camp directors/trip leaders: they will be happy to answer questions (they’ve heard it all!) and will get down to the nitty gritty details of your child’s needs.
- Talk to other parents: camps and trips often have networks of previous summers’ parents who can give first-hand advice and perspective, so nothing will come unexpected.
- Talk to your child: he or she will want to know who can be their go-to when they have questions, feel homesick, or need help, and you should know who their “summer mom” is before they leave.
- Trust the summer caretakers: perhaps the most important, yet the hardest point is to trust someone else with your child. Be comforted by the fact that they are pros at this, and are always there for not only your child, but also for you. You all have the same goal of giving your child the gift of summer, so enjoy it!
So this mother’s day, as you are preparing for your child to be away for the first or the fifth summer (or anywhere in between), remember to celebrate all the moms out there, including you! The teams of “summer moms” are who make your child’s summer truly amazing.
