Mom’s Guide for Camp-Ready Kids

C-A-M-P

Out of school often means going to camp, and quite likely, this single word fits powerfully into your child’s summer vocabulary. And, the word swarms all around the rest of us, too. Why, just the other day while sitting at a traffic light—even before the light changed—the nearby digital advertisement urged me to register for upcoming Magic Camp and T ball Camp!

Truly, the options abound. The 2019 Summer Camp Buffet includes:

Church Camp

Day Camp

Sports Camp

Art Camp

Science Camp

Band Camp

Dance Camp

Cheerleader Camp

Space Camp

Acting Camp

Family Camp

Scout Camp

Special Needs Camp

YMCA Camp

And the list goes on. And on. And on.

But here are several realities:

• Hold on for the big A-HA: camp is not just a rite of passage for the camper. Camp exists for the family as a whole. This away experience offers a tiny foray toward the ultimate day the child leaves the nest. (I know, ouch.) Nonetheless, for a defined period in the current calendar, the family undergoes a calculated, healthy change.

• Camping is not for everyone, and not for everyone for every summer. Wisdom must lead the way, and guide parents in how to incorporate camp into the life formation of each individual child.

• Creativity comes alive when struggling budgets can’t manage the classic weeklong variety. In such cases, even a neighborhood camp where a small group gathers and sets up encampment night by night in each other’s yards, genuinely builds memories to last a lifetime. So, stare down the obstacles, pitch the tent, pull out the s’mores, grab the guitar (and the insect repellent) and create your own customized adventure!

And, when your young person’s summer does include an away opportunity, here is your go-to list for preparation:

Mom’s Guide for Camp-Ready Kids

1. Pack like a pro. See illustration and explanation below.

Pack individual camp outfits, including socks and underwear, in separate ziplocs. Then, roll the ziplocs and fit them all into one large 2-gallon ziploc labeled ‘outfits’. Boom!

2. Include self-addressed, stamped envelopes in hopes your camper will write to you. Save them. These are treasures. Also, send self-addressed, stamped envelopes for your child to offer new friends to encourage contact once camp is over.

3. Fold in mini surprises for your dear one to open each day he or she is away; this gives something to look forward to and reminds them of your love.

4. Have a ‘What to do if I get homesick’ conversation. And, remind them to talk to Jesus when someone hurts their feelings. He always understands.

5. Send Dial soap; it will clean those scrapes and cuts like nothing else, thus helping to prevent a nasty infection.

6. Treat yourself to rare mom opportunities during this sacred space camp creates for you. Plan a date night with your camper’s dad, have coffee with a dear friend, read a refreshing book, visit a museum (and take your time studying the treasures) or go on an outdoor adventure.

7. Definitely prepare your schedule to provide focused attention to hear their stories when they return.

Before you know it, your camper will come bouncing back, exhausted, dirty, and begging to sign up for next year’s session. And truthfully, all too soon, they will be walking out the door and not just to camp. So for summer 2019, savor the memories; yes, savor the memories.

Speaking of memories …

As you read this, Larry and I will be in the throes of Cousins’ Camp for our grandchildren, where he and I serve as full-on camp directors! Our activities include a water park, an amusement park, a bike ride, a visit to a pottery studio, and badminton and soccer in the backyard. Oh my.

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever” (Romans 11:36 NASB).

Looking back, what were your camp experiences growing up?

How did God use these opportunities in your personal development?

Were you only a camper or did you later participate as a counselor?

How can you, encourage a camper in your life this summer, whether it is a child, a grandchild, a nephew, or a neighbor?

Be sure to contribute your thoughts by leaving a comment.

[Photos by Coleman Kavgian]

Ear Reading and Road Tripping

Ready! Steady! Go! No… not quite. Don’t head out the door until your Ear Reading is ready.

Our summer months often include extended car time, right? Certainly, listening to books helps pass the time. But first, a few guidelines.

Guidelines:

While Ear Reading and Road Tripping go hand in hand, a general orientation is helpful. Audible.com is an attractive but costly resource. This necessitates managing the free credits they periodically offer. When Audible.com is prohibitive, consider visiting the inventory at your local library. Also, Be aware that Audiobooks.com, a separate venue, (see below) provides a robust selection of free downloads.

Selections from Audible.com:

From my library built over the years, I offer here a varied assortment of options from which you can choose. Hopefully, there is enough to get you there and back.

1. NIV Audio Bible

2. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle

3. Cheaper by the Dozen, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

4. Destiny and Power, The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, Jon Meacham

5. Saving My Assassin, Virginia Prodan

6. Switch, How to Change Things When Change is Hard, Chip Heath & Dan Heath

7. The Boys in the Boat, Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest For Gold At The 1936 Berlin Olympics, Daniel James Brown

8. The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall, Mary Elise Sarotte

9. The Power of Moments, Chip Heath & Dan Heath

10. 41: A Portrait of My Father, George W. Bush

Selections from my Audiobooks. com Library:

(Just a few; countless volumes are available.)

Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery

Far From the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy

Three Men in a Boat, Jerome K. Jerome

And… the little people in my life (aka My Grand-darlings, My Blessings, My Grandchildren) found these, among others, delightful:

The Adventures of Buster Bear, Thornton W. Burgess

Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales, Beatrix Potter

The Box-Car Children, Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Railway Children, E. Nesbit

The Tale of Cuffy Bear, Arthur Scott Bailey

Now, with your suitcases loaded and your picnic basket packed, may your Road Tripping be safe and enriching, at least in the category of Ear Reading!

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

… turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding — (Proverbs 2:2 NIV).

Are you dreading the upcoming hours you will spend in a vehicle this summer?

How can a well-planned reading experience revitalize your perspective?

Which titles would you add to the resources above?

A Father’s Day Story for the Ages

Chuck Swindoll ministers to each of us with his writings in Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, published by Multnomah Press. The following story is taken in its entirety from that volume.

Building Memories

“You guys go on without me. You’ll have a great time—I’m sure of that. Sorry, family, but I have to work.”

The place? Montgomery, Alabama.

The time? Several years ago.

The situation? A dad, who really loved his family and wanted them to enjoy a summer vacation, had to work. The press of business kept him tied to the office. But being committed to their happiness, he assured them of his desire that they take the trip and enjoy the fleeting summer days.

He helped them plan every day of the camping trip. They would load up the family station wagon, drive to California, camp up and down the coast, then travel back home together. Each day was carefully arranged—even the highways they would travel and the places they would stop. Dad knew their whole route, the time they would reach each state—planned almost to the hour—even when they would cross the Great Divide.

It’s what he didn’t tell them that made the difference.

The father took off work (he’d planned it all along) and arranged to have himself flown to an airport near where his family would be on that particular day of the trip. He had also arranged to have someone pick him up and drive him to a place where every car on that route had to pass. With a wide grin, he sat on his sleeping bag and waited for the arrival of that familiar station wagon packed full of kids and camping gear. When he spotted the station wagon, he stood up, stepped out onto the shoulder of the road, and stuck out his thumb.

Can you visualize it?

Look! That guy looks just like … DAD!

The family assumed he was a thousand miles away, sweating over a stack of papers It’s amazing they didn’t drive off into a ditch or collapse from heat failure. Can you imaging the fun they had the rest of the way? And the memories they stored away in the mental scrapbook—could they ever be forgotten?

When later asked why he would go to all that trouble the creative father replied, “Well … someday I’m going to be dead. When that happens, I want my kids and wife to say, ‘You know, Dad was a lot of fun.’”

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“May the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful” (Psalm 68:3).

Why is that such a story finds it way into our hearts and releases a surge of endorphins in our brain?

What can you do this summer to add an element of creative surprise to your family’s collection of memories?