Camp Arowhon
Parenting
Building Character
All over North America there are thousands of summer camps that intentionally grow childrens’ commitment to their religion. Embedded in that religious acculturation there is always character building – simply because most religions speak to the question: What is a good person and what is a moral life? For the rest of us, this raises […]
ContinueBad Kid in the Cabin?
This is the time of year when the phone calls start. They usually begin in one of two ways: “I’m not a helicopter mom, but….” Or “I know we’re not supposed to disrequest certain kids, but…” And now we camp directors know what’s coming next. There’s a kid, either a kid new to our camp […]
ContinueTriangle Teens
Triangle Teens There is so much we want our kids to be. For them. Okay – maybe a little bit for us. I confess to a certain amount of unseemly pride when I could mention (casually of course) that my son was at UCC and my daughter at UTS. I’m pretty base. Parents who are […]
ContinueMore bad news on teens and vaping
Last post we talked about teens vaping and then it blew up around us. The government of British Columbia freaked out and dramatically increased the tax on vaping products. They also banned the kid-friendly flavours, capped nicotine levels, and restricted vape ads. Ontario, walking down both sides of the road at once, avoided pissing off […]
ContinueSaying Goodbye to Your Campers….
A Summer Camp Lesson: Good-bye, and Go Away, Thank You Very Much Dropping a kid off for camp can test a parent’s resolve. But standing back to let a child develop autonomy is one of the most important things a parent can do. by JESSICA LAHEY in The Atlantic Three years ago, when he was […]
Continue5 Tips for Surviving Your Child’s First Overnight Camp Experience
In our last post we talked about how seeing our kids’ anxiety triggers an anxious response in us that can be maladaptive for them if we follow through with our gut reaction: removing the trigger, thereby preventing our kids from developing the coping skills to deal with their situation. Sending a child away to overnight […]
ContinueIs some anxiety ok?
I’ve been working on letting go of my own feelings of despair when either of my beloved offspring is not ok. This is so hard. Appallingly challenging. My urgent need to fix it is even more compelling.Whether these feelings are built into parental DNA, or just the product of our generation of parents for whom […]
ContinueWhy don’t boys try harder?
I hear so often from parents of boys that their sons are unmotivated, don’t seem to care about doing well in school and can’t seem to get themselves organized. “Where’s your agenda? Why aren’t you writing in it?” These are good questions. The only problem is that we’re asking the wrong guy. Literally. When we […]
ContinueMarch Break and….boredom.
In a February column in the New York Times, Pamela Paul opined: “Boredom teaches us that life isn’t a parade of amusements. More important, it spawns creativity and self-sufficiency.” Three cheers! And now let’s bring on March Break, a golden opportunity to hear kids say: “I’m bored.” The two words that strike terror into the […]
ContinueDid St. Mike’s have to happen?
I feel awful about what happened at St Mike’s. Awful for the boys and their parents, and sad for our culture where such goings-on can occur – and be tolerated. I have been hearing this from parents, the worried question: Could what happened at St. Mike’s happen elsewhere? Some parents ask this question, some don’t. […]
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