I look forward to summer camp now almost as much as I did when I was a camper. I went to a bunch of camps throughout my life and most of them were similar in the ways you feel as a counselor. So heres being a Camp Counselor as told by the movie “Camp Takota.”
When you find out that you’re cabin counselors with your best friends:
This is about to be the best camp ever.
The feeling the pump up speech given by the Camp Director makes you feel before the kiddies get there:
Everyone loves a rousing speech that makes you feel like this wont be the longest week of your life.
When you see the swarms of kids running into camp:
Your life flashes before your eyes and suddenly the minutes turn into hours.
When you confiscate your first item from a camper less than 20 minutes in:
NO DRUGS. NO ALCOHOL. NO PHONES. NO SUGARY DRINKS IN THE CABINS. NO EXOTIC ANIMALS.
When you teach chants to the campers but not all the counselors are on the same page:
Whether it be “Little Red Wagon” or “Bananas,” everyone seems to march to their own beat and sing their own lyrics.
Then it’s time for bed and no one seems to want to even change into PJ’s much less sleep:
Suddenly you are reminded of why your cabin counselors hated you and your friends so much for staying up late.
You get the kid at 4 am that wakes you up to go to the bathroom every night:
You want to hate them for it, but they’re so stinkin cute you cant help but love them.
When you try to wake up the campers every morning:
It escalates from the casual “hey guys wake up” to subtle “OMG GUYS THERES A BEAR-PLATYPUS-AXYLOTL OUTSIDE.”
When lake time comes around and you finally have some time to relax (or not):
Time to go swim in the counselor only “deep end” and try to even out that farmers tan.
When you see one of your kids get their first letter:
You cant help but feel like the long nights are all worth it when they run up to show it to you.
When the older campers try to pull one over on you or sneak out past curfew:
You invented the “prop your cabin window and climb out” move, so no camper should ever try it on you.
At the end of the week, when the campers complain about how tired they are:
Told you you should’ve gone to bed at curfew.
When the parents start to ask you how the week went:
But all you’re thinking about is crawling in bed and sleeping for days.
Then they tell you something super nice:
You want to hug them or say thank you, but you’re so tired and still in camp mode that you just stand and smile.
When you finally see your bed and “assume the position:”
No better feeling after camp than that of a non-bunk bed and the silence of a house without campers.
But at the end of the week you know how special it was and how you’ll never forget all the fun you had.
Let the countdown to next year begin!
Dedicated to my favorite camps growing up: Camp Singletary and Mars Hill 🙂
M. Blair. 