This week we have been packing my boys up for sleep-away-camp.  I know they will have fun, and I am glad they will have the experience of spending time away from the glaring eyes of their mom and dad.  It is their chance to gain some independence, and prove to themselves that they are mature and responsible enough to make some decisions on their own.  As a parent you hope with this independence and responsibility, the decisions they make show strong character and good manners.  I think this good character starts with how they treat their camp counselors. 

Camp counselors are typically college or high school aged, and even though they are not officially an “adult” campers need to treat them with the same respect as they would a parent or teacher.    Camp counselors are there to guide campers to be kind to each other, follow the rules, and have fun.  Their purpose should not be to introduce the concept of minding authority and correcting constant bad behavior.  As you are approaching camp time, remind your child that even though camp counselors are younger than their teachers and coaches, and are super friendly and fun, counselors deserve the same respect and hold the same authority as other adult figures in their lives. They are there to show you fun, but also to keep your group organized and safe, and they need to be minded.

            A lot of parents and campers enjoy giving their counselors gifts at the end of their stay.  The gift does not have to be expensive or elaborate.  Great gifts could include something from the camp store, a spirit item with the counselor’s university logo, or even a home made baked good.  A fun way to give the gift would be to mail it to them the week after your camper is back from camp.  Just like campers love receiving care packages, counselors do too.  After spending a week to a month with his counselor, your child should be able to tell you what kind of gift his counselor would be excited to receive. 

Lastly, to leave your child’s camp counselor with great memories of his camp experience, ask your child to send the gift with a thank you note.  In the note he can tell his counselor how much his leadership meant to him, and how much fun he made his time at camp.  This is a good lesson for your child to learn about showing appreciation for others, and about being a guest in someone else’s home - or in this case a guest in someone’s cabin.  It is also a camp token that his counselor will cherish and keep in his memory for a long time.