Sleepaway camp: the Mom View

Considering sleepaway camp for your kiddos?

Paige Kornblue and her kiddos take us to western North Carolina for a look inside Camp Highlander, an American Camp Association accredited camp and one that's been positively impacting the lives of children since 1957… and PK since 1992.

As summer came to a close, our family sat around the dinner table and we asked the kids what they’re thankful for, just like we do on Thanksgiving.

Solid answers came from our 10-year-old daughter, Maya, and twin 8-year-old sons, Clay and Cody. They expressed gratitude for Mom, Dad, each other, the vacation home we were staying in at the time and their family and friends back home in South Florida.

But then Cody started in with this….

“Make today better than yesterday, as good as you hope tomorrow will be, with courage, honesty, integrity and faith as you live the Highlander creed.”

It was the first time their dad had heard their camp creed and so he asked Cody to repeat it. Cody proudly did… and this time, all three kiddos joined in.

“Make today better than yesterday, as good as you hope tomorrow will be, with courage, honesty, integrity and faith as you live the Highlander creed.”

It doesn’t get much better than that.

Maya, Clay and Cody experienced sleepaway camp for the very first time this past summer, at the camp I attended as a camper and counselor back in the day. I had the opportunity to be back on property too, quietly helping behind-the-scenes as a “Camp Mom.” My job was to assist camp staff in and around the office and step far away from my usual job of All-Hands-on-Deck-Mom. My kids' job was to have tons of fun and hopefully… learn a thing or two along the way.

Turns out, we all did.

It was early June when we packed up our huge duffel bags, left the South Florida heat and drove deep into the heart of western North Carolina. As the mountain roads started to wind and the early fog along Forge Mountain settled in, we rolled up to Camp Highlander… a camp whose story began in 1957.

My daughter wasn’t so sure about this whole camp thing. Not one to be away from Mom for long, it was a big move for us both. As parents, we never know if drop-offs of any kind… preschool, day school, day camp, sleepaway camp, college… end up being tougher on our children or on ourselves. I think it’s often a little of both.

It took Maya a few nights to get comfortable at camp and as hard as some moments were for her, I soon caught her singing with cabinmates, cheering for ice cream in the dining hall and jumping into all sorts of camp activities. She fell in love with drama, cooking, ziplining and time on the lake. And… a few weeks after camp wrapped up, she asked to return.

My twin boys felt at home at Camp Highlander from the very start. They were thrilled to make new friends (some older, some younger), experience new activities (riflery, archery, ziplining and paddling were their faves) and even try new foods. Clay found me after the first Sunday night campfire and with a huge smile, shouted “They played ‘Rock me mama and the green beans are awesome!”

How often can we gather our children around a campfire and have them want to stay and listen and sing? How often do our kiddos put aside electronic devices - iPads, iPhones, watches, radios, gaming gear and televisions - and truly take it all in and get to know and feel the great outdoors? How often can we get them to sweep the floors, make their beds and brush their teeth without being asked to do so four times before heading out the door? How often do we let go of their hands and allow others to teach them things that… maybe we can’t?

Sleepaway camp provides all of that and as evident at Camp Highlander, so much more.

The morning of June 9th, as I walked to my post at the front office, I overheard Camp Highlander Director of Boys Camp, Mac Bishop, speaking to the camp community outside the dining hall. The kids sat on wood benches, their eyes just starting to open for another adventurous day ahead. It’s a morning moment Camp Highlander calls Reflect at the Rock. Mac started their day with this:

What is it that we seek for our children?

Confidence. Curiosity. Joy. Knowledge. Strength. Friendship. Love.

My kids found bits and pieces of all of that at Camp Highlander. Without even realizing it, or needing to at this age, they gained little handfuls of what many of us seek each day… the things we all could use a little more of. If we’re lucky, some of it is learned best alongside new friends… on a mountain… over a few summer weeks that seem to go by just a little too fast.

As for me, I not only left with a full tummy after enjoying three delicious meals complete with fruit and salad bar options placed in front of me in the dining hall each day (all moms would appreciate that!) but also a heart full of appreciation for the work that goes on behind-the-scenes at a summer camp, similar to schools and other fine institutions that care deeply for our children. Camp Highlander owners, Melissa and Bryan Fitzgerald, and their team do an amazing job juggling all things, doing all things, supporting all Camp Highlander people - big and small - and making sure magic is made on that mountain. Every day. Every week. Every summer.

Thank you, Camp Highlander….then and now.

*Paige & Friends, Camp Highlander, 1990’s*

LEARN MORE: CAMP HIGHLANDER

Summer Camp: What Parents Need to Know on Episode 14 of Today’s Paige the Podcast (Link below). American Camp Association President/CEO Tom Rosenberg and Camp Highlander Director Melissa Fitzgerald join Paige to discuss how to choose the right camp for your child, the best time to start children at camp, the safety and supervision protocols to ask camp directors about and much more. Listen here:

WHY CAMP? ~ TODAY'S PAIGE THE PODCAST

The American Camp Association is a great place to learn more information on finding the right camp for your child, on making sure the camp you choose is accredited and information on the camps that offer scholarship and financial assistance programs.

This post was created in partnership with Camp Highlander

www.CampHighlander.com