Dear Camp Mom – June Edition

Hello, Bauercrest families!

It’s really happening… Staff Week is only one month away! This is such an exciting time for those of who’ve been planning out this summer all year long. The off-season will be in-season before we know it… FINALLY!!! The closer we get to Opening Day, the more questions pop up about all kinds of topics. Here are a few:

Q: What happens if my son wants to talk to me while he is at camp?
A: Most of our first-time campers have never been away from home for any significant length of time, and it’s very common for families to believe that being able to speak to each other will eliminate homesickness and anxiety. It won’t. The only way to guarantee your child won’t ever be homesick is to keep him at home… but since that means he would miss out on this incredible, life-changing experience, we cannot, in good conscience, endorse that option. It’s okay to miss home. In fact, missing home is a good thing, because that means home is a happy place. We can work through missing home. We have an arsenal of strategies and anecdotes and good old-fashioned distractions, and we are not afraid to use them. Allow your child to have the best of both worlds… two places to love and call home. But physically calling home? That’s basically having him press a reset button and sending him back to Day 1. If you want to talk to someone about camp, call ME!

Q: My son is going to be a first-time camper this summer and he wants to be in the same bunk as his friend. Is that allowed?
A: The short answer is yes. First-time campers always get their first choice of bunk-mates, as long as they’re in the same grade. It doesn’t matter if your son’s friend is another rookie or he’s been coming to the Crest for years… I’ll make sure they’re together. There’s a Bunk Request Form in your Camp In Touch account. If you have a request, this is where you need to make it known. If you call me, email me, text me, snap me, DM me, or send me a candygram, I will lovingly reiterate that the only place I’m going to look when I sit down to make the bunks is your Bunk Request Form. If you don’t fill it out (not everyone does, and that’s perfectly fine), I’ll just assume you don’t have a preference. Again, not everyone does… perfectly fine! 

Q: My son has never celebrated Shabbat. Is he going to feel out of place or even know what to do?
A: Shabbat at Bauercrest is a time when the entire camp comes together in our beautiful Grove overlooking the lake, and I think every single camper, regardless of religious background or knowledge, truly feels like he’s a part of something extraordinary when he’s in that sacred space. Some of our campers read Hebrew and know the prayers, while others are being exposed to Jewish traditions for the first time. Our services are fun and interactive and inclusive and meaningful. They give us the opportunity to take a collective breath and reflect on the week as a community. I promise, your son doesn’t have to know what to do. He just needs to be there and take it all in. And he’ll learn to watch out for those Bauercrest sunsets, because they literally take our collective breath away.

Q: Can my son bring his own sports equipment?
A: Sure! Every camper needs his own baseball glove, but that’s the only must-bring. The rest is up to you. Our tennis players bring their own racquets, our hockey and lacrosse players bring their own sticks, and our golfers bring their own clubs. But we are a sports camp; we have plenty of equipment to go around, so don’t feel the need to go out and get any of it on our account! Just remember, whatever you send… LABEL!!!

If you need answers to your own list of how-to’s and what-if’s, please don’t be a stranger. Can’t wait to see you all soon!

xo,
stacy