Howdy Kinfolk,

This could be a touchy subject, but I feel that after six great weeks together, I can say it – trust us wholly, and relax that for eight precious weeks you do not need to keep your child tethered to you with a cell phone.  While we are very firm that there are no cell phones (or texting from camp), occasionally an older camper will have one in a backpack as a crutch to call Mom or Dad when something doesn’t go exactly his or her way.

It’s a trap, parents! Not only do you not need to rescue your camper, you shouldn’t! And you definitely should not tell your camper to bring it “just in case.…”  (Every bus has a cell phone for emergencies and once at camp, we are all connected by land lines.) The unspoken message there is that she can’t be safe unless a parent is there to solve the problem. (Are you planning to be her roommate in college?! Or move in when he gets married?!)

One of the greatest things camp does for kids, besides giving them the time of their lives, is the opportunity to learn to navigate on their own – recognizing that they can depend on themselves to fix a problem they are encountering at the moment; to use their own voice, to “Stand Up”.

What better place to practice growing up than here on The Ranch – where it’s virtually impossible to make a bad choice, where counselors are trained to coach and support their campers, where an emotionally and physically safe community has been created?

I urge you: don’t miss this window of opportunity. Where else can a child truly get away from it all and learn to stand on his own feet – and build a stronger brain of her own? Did you know that kids spending more than 6 hours daily in some sort of solitary media environment during the school year? Enter camp, a totally unplugged environment.

A recent article, “Can You Hear Me Now? Not if You’re at Summer Camp,” quotes a mom saying that she would pay extra for a tech-restricted camp experience! She explains that the first time she took her son to camp (a camp where parents drove their campers), he was on his iPod Touch the entire car ride, but the second time they made the drive, he didn’t even bring it in the car.

It’s really interesting, but just the other day I realized how nice that feeling is. Throughout the summer, I tell my friends not to call me on my cell phone because I never use it, even when I am in the office; and I never gave that comment much thought until now. It has dawned on me that I, too, unplug during camp – and it is freeing!

Eight prized weeks.  No electronic umbilical cord! Rejoice, and let go.

Everyone knows you don’t need – or even want – a phone in Coleman Country.

Happy Trails!
Marla