Monthly Archives:June 2025
Thoughts from a Camp Parent
Hello! I am the proud father of a Woodland camper. Like many of you, we are counting down the days till camp (and have been for quite some time!). I’d like to share a random smattering of miscellaneous thoughts with you about having a daughter go to Camp Woodland as you may have some questions or thoughts you are wrestling with.
A Quick Drop Off is Key
For the past few years I have made the drive with our daughter from Chicago to Eagle River. We stay at a hotel the night before and go out for a special dinner together. We rise early in the morning, grab breakfast at one of the local restaurants, make a stop at Cathy’s Ice Cream, and head to camp. Drop offs are better when they are short and sweet. A hug and a kiss, the reassurance of our love for her, and off she goes. Now is not the time for an extended goodbye. Send her off with your full confidence. You can get emotional all you want when you get back in the car, eat your feelings with more ice cream at Cathy’s, and drive home.
On Writing Letters/Emails
I personally find writing to our daughter to be a confusing and frustrating experience. I want to shower her with love so she knows I am thinking about her, but what do I say? I want to ask her all the questions: What did you do today? Did anything surprise you? What did you learn? Who did you sit with? But one-way conversations tend to be challenging. Also – do I tell her how much I love her and miss her? Do I tell her the fun things that are happening back at home? Will that trigger an unintended homesickness? It’s tough. And while this is not the magic solution, here’s what I’ve done for her time at camp.
- I try to write a hand-written letter once a week. And an email every 2-3 days.
- I ask some questions. Not a ton. Just enough to show her that I care about her experience there and that I’m curious about it.
- I share with her some relevant things that are happening back home. Nothing that I think might create unnecessary longing in her. But just the normal stuff: Our dog did something silly the other day. Your brother had a piano recital yesterday and crushed it. I pulled my back out from sleeping weird.
- I tell her that I love her, I am thinking about her, and that I’m proud of her.
- I also include silly poems and drawings. I make little puzzles and riddles for her to do in her free time. I share with her a list of jokes.
Looking at Photos
I love to sit down and look through the pics when they get posted every few days. It becomes a bit of a ritual for us. When you do see a picture of your daughter, don’t overanalyze it. She isn’t smiling in that one, do you think she’s unhappy? She’s next to that one girl in lots of pics, who is that and is that girl her new best friend? Just enjoy getting to see what she is doing. Let it fill your heart, and then close your computer.
Enjoy the Break
You’re getting some time away from your daughter/s. Don’t feel guilty about enjoying a little break. It’s good for every relationship to experience some periodic separation. Of course you miss her. We all know that. Just enjoy having a quieter house for several weeks. After all, she is having way more fun than you are anyway.
Post-Camp Data Dump
When your daughter finally returns home, carve out some special time for an initial data dump. Hear all the stories. Let her show you the arts and crafts projects she has made. Have her walk you through her schedule. Go through the website pics with her, and have her share with you what was happening in each. Her re-entry will require many of these types of conversations, but we like to do an initial download and data dump while things are fresh. Also, don’t be surprised if her emotions are all over the place. You don’t have canteen or goodnight singers at home, and leaving a world without technology can be a shock to the system.
Be Grateful
Camp Woodland for Girls is an extraordinary gift. Our daughter comes home and is noticeably different in the best of ways – more mature, more free, more confident, more self-aware, more caring. Camp Woodland is helping her grow into an extraordinary young woman. Don’t miss the opportunity to be grateful for the gift that is a summer experience at Camp Woodland!
ENROLL for SUMMER 2025
We have just a FEW remaining spots left to enroll your camper/s for 2025 so that your daughter/s can “enjoy the ride” through the Camp Woodland experience! Sign up HERE: https://cwtp.campbrainregistration.com
Summer 2025 Theme: Enjoy the Ride
Every year for as long as I can remember, Camps Woodland and Towering Pines ponder over the theme for the next summer before the current summer ends. This way cabin groups at both camps get involved and submit their ideas with the hopes of being able to hear their name called at assembly after the roar of a building drumroll. It is a big deal to be awarded the honor of being able to say they had a hand in choosing the words that will give shape to what the following summer holds for future campers and staff. Summer 2025 is no different!
The words “enjoy the ride” hold a lot of possibility – maybe a deviation from the norm of how we tend to rush from thing to thing or aren’t able to “stop and smell the roses” once in awhile. While the story I’m about to share starts out sad, the end message is worth it and ties into our summer theme. Not that long ago, we got the news that our next door neighbor, Don, had passed away unexpectedly at the age of 68. We didn’t know that he was sick or dealing with any sort of health issue, so it was a shock to say the least. My husband even called it a “gut-punch.”
Don was the sort of guy I called upon when my garage door wouldn’t open, the flag pole needed replacing, or there was a turtle in our yard that needed to be redirected to its desired destination, among numerous other “predicaments.” He was always good about letting me know when an outside light was burned out or there was a break in our irrigation system. He was all about helping people and did so at the drop of a hat.
Another trait that Don was known for is living life with a spirit of adventure and wonder. He was a pilot and a sailor. Don always approached people with a smile and had no shortage of jokes/puns to pass along. He lived every day and every minute to the fullest, something we can all learn from (myself included!). Just the other day my husband mentioned taking a boat cruise after eating lunch at one of the local restaurants, and while in my head I was thinking of all of the things on my to-do list, I said, “sure – it’s what Don would have done.” Cleaning and packing can wait.
In thinking about “enjoy the ride” as the theme for summer 2025, Don is a good example of how to live that every day; he definitely enjoyed the journey, savored each moment, and lived in the present moment.
Staff (who are arriving this week!) also embrace this sentiment as they reflect on what the theme means to them:
-To me enjoy the ride means that no matter how the summer goes, it is crucial to maintain a positive outlook.
-Enjoy summer and everything that comes with it.
-Enjoy trying new things.
-Having the best summer ever, enjoying every minute of it.
-To enjoy camp to the fullest and experience the ups and downs with friends and family.
-It means be excited and expect the unexpected.
-You don’t always need a plan, just see how your day unfolds.
-Having fun in the different stages at camp.
-To go with the flow of camp and enjoy every piece of summer.
-To live every moment of camp, always with a smile on your face :).
-Make the most of every moment big or small.
-To enjoy the journey camp provides every summer!
-Make the most of this experience (meet new people, travel as much as I can, improve my English and become a better camp counselor).
-To live in the moment and trust the process!
-Always take advantage of all the opportunities that life gives you and make the most of it, especially at camp, since time goes by very quickly, so it’s very important to always enjoy it a lot.
-It means don’t worry about the end and focus on the moment and enjoying camp while you can.
-Enjoy and live every moment, no matter if it’s perfect or not.
-Being present and having fun because we get to be at camp!
-Always being in the present moment and relishing my time at camp.
-It means going with the flow and enjoying each moment.
-Live new experiences.
-Enjoy the ride and not the destination.
Get Excited!
This staff member sums up the summer theme perfectly: For me, “Enjoy the Ride” for summer 2025, it’s about living in the moment, making unforgettable memories with campers and fellow counselors, and finding joy in the little things like campfire nights, team games, or just a good laugh after a long day. I know there will be challenges, but I’m excited to learn, grow, and make a positive impact while also having fun. This summer is about connection, adventure, and appreciating the whole journey, not just the highlights.
ENROLL for SUMMER 2025
We have a FEW remaining spots left to enroll your camper/s for 2025 so that your daughter/s can enjoy their own ride through the Camp Woodland experience! Sign up HERE: https://cwtp.campbrainregistration.com
