I was a camp counselor this summer, which basically means I got paid to hang out in a garden and make plum tarts, to backpack through Olympic National Park, to dress up in crazy clothes and do the Cha Cha Slide, to sing silly songs and make s'mores and watch the sun rise over the ocean. And on top of all this, I got paid to hang out with a bunch of funny, bright, and exuberant kids.
For the second half of the summer, I was the counselor of a cabin with seven (SEVEN) 12-year-olds. I will admit that after spending almost 30 days in a cabin full of loud and (often incomprehensibly) energetic preteen girls, I was more than ready to hang up my counselor tie by the end of the summer. But, despite how exhausting and challenging it was, counseling a bunch of seventh graders for a month taught me some really valuable lessons:
1. People who are really different from one another can become the best of friends.
Although my campers did share some similarities, they were all pretty different from one another. In the beginning, I feared that a bunch of adolescent girls with very different personalities living together for a month would end up being a total hot mess. But over the course of the summer, I watched them embrace the differences between them and build some authentic (and totally heartwarming) friendships.
2. Persistence is good.
From the very beginning of the session, some of my campers had this minor obsession with the idea of sleeping on the porch. At first, when they asked if we could sleep out, I was a little hesitant. But after much relentless begging, I finally gave in. We dragged our mattresses and blankets onto the porch and slept under the stars, and it ended up being a really magical experience (and one of the best nights of sleep I had all summer!)
3. It's OK to let things get a little out of control sometimes.
My campers were wild. Like, pretty much all the time. They were consistently loud and filled with energy, and sometimes, despite my massive efforts, getting them to settle down was impossible. Although their lack of listening skills was often mind-numbingly frustrating, it was in those moments of utter chaos that they had the most fun. It was when they were singing and running around on the deck instead of brushing their teeth that they laughed and smiled and experienced pure joy, and made lasting memories.
4. It's good to be silly.
My campers were not afraid to be themselves. They were silly and crazy and fun, and they were all of these things without hesitation. Some of my favorite memories from this summer involve being silly right along with them, singing loudly at dinner or traipsing around camp in funny costumes or laughing hysterically in the middle of all camp hangout.
5. Doing things you're afraid of is really, really important.
When I found out I was going to be counseling seven girls by myself, I was terrified. I felt utterly incapable of handling a bunch of pre-teens on my own, and I was so, so nervous that I wouldn't be able to provide them what they needed in a counselor. But counseling Hillside ended up being one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I wouldn't trade my time with them for anything.
