The first summer camp experience of my first child was one that was both challenging and rewarding at the same time. Since I was a first-time Mom and I had no prior experience in summer camp from a parent perspective, I was not totally sure of what to look for. Nevertheless, those same reasons—and the fact that it was also the first time that my child would be away from home—are what caused me to be highly selective in my summer camp search.
During my search, I asked around to family, friends, and coworkers. I was referred to a wide variety of camp options for my child. Everything from the beautiful hills of some of the local summer camps’ hiking trails, to the immaculate maintenance of Chateaugay’s camping facilities. I called, I interviewed, and I referenced-checked everything. Whenever it was possible and my finances and work schedule would allow, I also toured the campgrounds to see them firsthand. After months and months of screening and toiling, I finally picked the summer camp that I believed would be the best for her. Even with all of that, I was still quite nervous on the day that I dropped her off.
My child’s first summer camp experience actually turned out to be better than I thought it would be! She made lots of new friends, the staff was very kind to her, and she learned a lot, too! During her time at the summer camp, she wrote letters to me to ease my mind and keep me informed of how things were going. On the day that I picked her up from summer camp, all she could do was rave about how much fun she had! I could tell that she had definitely changed for the better. The positive role models, experiences, and influences that she had during her time at the summer camp helped her to grow. From that moment, I knew that I had made the right summer camp choice.
The first summer camp experience of my first child and choosing a summer camp as a first-time Mom is something that I hold dear to this day. The experience was a great help to me for surviving the first-time summer camp experiences the 3 children that followed!
first summer camp experience
