Because I'm proud of something.
I personally recruited two counselors for primary camp at Camp Kellogg this past week. One of them was a pretty experienced counselor, I just convinced him to sign up for yet another week of camp duty. The other had little to no experience with kids, and I persuaded him that he would love camp.
When I was asked what a first-time counselor should expect, I had to pause. "Well... you'll hate kids for a little while. When, not if, that happens, take a break and maybe a nap, and you'll recover. You'll get exhausted and hot, you'll feel like you're in WAY over your head... and you won't regret it." Then I said that my experiences as a counselor have been the most fulfilling times of my life. And it's true.
There's nothing like the feeling of having someone (or eight someones) be completely dependent on you to help you grow up, fast.
I remember seeing a clogged toilet one night, and thinking, "Man, someone should take care of that..." and realizing that, finally, that person was me.
Sure, camp is fun, camp is free food, and a way to work on your tan because you're outside all the time, but it's also a lot more than that. It's a chance to focus completely on putting a child's needs before your own and to get over yourself.
There's a lot more that could be said about camp, but then again, I would never be able to say all of it.
Good post - all very true. And congratulations on getting the toilet unclogged.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that you became a follower of my blog. I'm honored.
I love how you described what being a first-time camp counselor is like. Were both of the guys glad they listened to you?
ReplyDeleteGrowing up? Yes, that's you!