Camp Rules, Literally

As a previous volunteer at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Connecticut, I am one of so many who are cheer leading the mission of North Star Reach.  There are many reasons I chose this organization and this cause, but the foundation for my choice is simple – I can’t get camp out of my head.

I haven’t actually been back to camp since the summer of 2008, when I left for camp the day after finding out we were pregnant with our first child.  And though my life has changed significantly since then, the impact camp has made on me flows in and out of my life daily.  Some days I think of how I miss the inspiration that came from witnessing the amazing team that makes camp happen every summer, every weekend, and even inside hospital walls.  Some days, I reflect on the children who play so hard and so happily while they are away at camp – free of the pressures their medical diagnosis puts on their small little bodies, and enormous minds.  And some days, I think of the brave families who put their faith in the concept and people of camp – that camp can do wonders for their child who has had to grow up too quickly when faced with a serious medical diagnosis during their childhood years.

It is not surprising to me that I have actually incorporated camp rules into my own life at home.  Because the coolest thing about camp is that there are very few rules.  For me, that is precisely what I need in my home with two toddler boys, as research will support that having too many rules or saying “no” too many times could hinder a young child’s ability to make choices.  And imagine, being a child with a serious medical diagnosis who lives with a lot of rules daily.  Yes, these are necessary rules, but rules nonetheless.  So to attend camp where you can actually count the number of rules you have to follow on one hand is a relief in itself.

At The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, the rules are introduced to the children at the start of camp.  Before you know it, you will hear the kids chanting them – #1: No physical violence.  #2:  No put downs.  #3: No unsupervised activity.  #4: Have fun.  Simple right?  Consider that if we all lived with this set of rules, life would be more like camp….and trust me, I think we would all smile, laugh and relax a little more.

North Star Reach has some amazing rules in the works too.  #1:  Safety.  #2:  Respect.  #3:  Love.  #4:  Challenge by choice (i.e. children may choose to challenge themselves – nothing at camp is meant to feel forceful).  And #5:  Have fun.  Genius.   Because the overview of North Star Reach, and all SeriousFun Camps for that matter, is to create a camp that changes lives – in more ways than one.  I challenge you to talk with a camper who has attended a SeriousFun camp that hasn’t been changed by their camp experience.

So, recently, when I was called away from kitchen duties to rescue a bewildered toy caught in the middle of my two boys, I heard the boys arguing begin to escalate.  As I rounded the corner, I saw the youngest hit the oldest.  Sigh.  And then, I saw the oldest take his hand, look him straight in the eye and say “No physical violence.”  And I immediately smiled, and thought to myself “Yes!  Camp really does rule.”

By Jenni Attie