Summer days are here. It’s the season for family vacations, lake days, and sleeping in. It’s also summer camp season. Some of my sweetest memories are from my weeks at church camp. It was hot and humid and holy. I forged deep friendships and strengthened my relationship with God. I also came home exhausted and (in retrospect) a smidge grumpy.
A couple of decades have passed and now I’m the mom at home sending my kids to camp and this is a whole other thing. My kids love their time at camp. They sing and swim and snack. They also sweat and stink. I’m so glad that they get to have the camp experience and I sure wouldn’t take it away from them but I have picked up on a few tips to help survive a week at day camp.
- Set expectations low. This is not a week to fill up the evening calendar with activities. Even the most fun thing loses its allure when you’re exhausted. Things that my kids would otherwise be thrilled to do, they just don’t have the energy left to enjoy. We try to set evenings aside as a time to refuel for the next day.
- Stay on top of laundry. I’m a self-described Laundry Queen. It is my way to maintain a level of control in our busy household. I really do try to keep my laundry perpetually caught up but it is even more important during camp week because, well, their clothes are gross. Our routine is to have them shower as soon as they get home to rinse off the days filth and I just gather their dirty stuff at that time and toss it in the wash. Add extra fabric softener for maximum odor fighting.
- Make grab-and-go snacks readily available. There is just something about spending the day in the heat that causes their appetites to go crazy. Big meals, however, aren’t appealing. Set out fresh fruit or a cheese and cracker board and it’ll be gone in a flash.
- Ask them what they learned but don’t be discouraged if they can’t tell you much. Seeds are being planted at camp. Those seeds will grow over time. It could be weeks or months or years until you see the fruit from the work that is done during camp week. Acknowledge that God is making something beautiful and sometimes that can take some time.
Read more of Abbie Mabary’s contributions to allmomdoes here.
