So you want to become a camp counselor, do you? Let me tell you, it's one of the most insane but fun jobs you can get as a college student. Some of the things that come out of these kids' mouths are unbelievable, and their actions are typical of young kids, but I wouldn't trade it for any other job. So, if you have ever been a camp counselor or will be one this summer, here are some things you can expect to encounter.
1. The types of kids
You’re going to encounter some of the most polar opposite kids. You have the kids who want to play sports all day, the readers, the crafty kids, the insane kids, the quiet kids and the hard-to-place kids. They’re going to ask you to join in whatever they are doing, all at once, at the same time. As if you can play dodgeball while simultaneously making sand art and having an in-depth discussion about flowers.
2. The relationship question
Kids are so blunt and upfront. On a daily basis you will be asked by 7-year-olds if you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, and if the answer is no the kids without fail will ask the next question: well, why not? As if we all have choices in the matter.
3. Ice cream days
Ice cream days will be one of the most stressful days of the week because the kids will be asking why you don’t have their favorite flavor. I’m sorry we don’t have mint chocolate cotton candy swirl with strawberry flavored peanut butter cookie chunks, kids…
4. Dealing with injuries
Chances are at some point a kid is going to get hurt and you will have to take everything seriously and use your best knowledge and judgement to take care of the kid -- even if it means having to piggy back an 8-year-old boy up a steep hill because of heat exhaustion (yes, that happened, and yes, it made me feel like a superhero).
5. Day trips
Day trip days are a big one. Beach days (or, in my case, “lake days”) will get complicated and messy. The kids are going to jump in the water and then roll around in the sand and do things even you didn’t think of. They will go to the snack bar with a new sense of freedom and buy four packs of sugar wafers, which will certainly help the overactive beach day liberation attitude.
6. The oversharing children
You will encounter kids (mostly all of them) who are the most open sharers about their everyday lives. Kids are going to come up to you and speak to you about their personal lives, random thoughts and interests. You start to know the kids even better than your best friends, and not even by choice.
7. Being the designated problem-solver
Kids will start to look at you as if you are the problem-solving god who has all the answers. You will have to settle a few legit problems, but mostly they are the smallest, most insignificant child problems. It’s not all bad, because you feel useful acting as a mediator, but then you realize it’s to make sure each kid gets an equal time with plastic scooters. So yeah, there’s that.
8. The "tan"
As a counselor you will be in the sun all day, every day for a month or two. So it goes without saying that you will get the most uneven and ridiculous tan -- but hey, at least you’re getting your Vitamin D.
9. Your changing personality toward different kids
You'll probably encounter having to become three different people depending on who you're speaking to. You have the super nice, child-talking version of yourself (to the younger kids), the “I’m tired, please ask another counselor” version (to the middle-aged kids) and the “I know what you’re up to” attitude when you realize that you’re the adult in the situation and can take control (possibly).
10. The "Can I sit over there and do nothing?" children
At least four times a day, you will have a kid come up to you who doesn't want to play the sport everyone is playing, do the craft everyone is making or go where everyone else is going -- so they will always say, "Can I go sit over there? I don't want to do this." The typical response is to get them involved with it anyway, but sometimes, after the third time as a counselor, you just say, "Fine."
11. Appreciating it when it’s all over
At the end of the summer, no matter what you had to deal with, you realize that it’s a great experience to be a camp counselor and the kids really look up to you. So yeah, you’re going to end up doing it next year, too.