by Richard
It’s winter and there’s still cold seeping around most doors, causing us to dress in sweaters and bundle up under blankets. But that doesn’t stop time from marching on. Believe it or not, it’s time to start looking for summer camps.
I know. It’s hard to believe, but it is true.
Over the last couple of days, we’ve begun to receive many, many thick catalogs with ideas for different camps and summer programs in which we could enroll our little dude and our teen dudes. We’re lucky. We already know what they’re going to go away to do. Unlike some camps where the little dudes and dudettes go for months, we send ours to shorter, normally two-week, camps. They get a trip out of town on their own and we get to keep a few pennies in the bank account. A few, mind you.
There are many, many fine summer camps all over the country. A lot of the ones I’ve dealt with, either by attending or by sending a little dude there, are associated with the YMCA. For the most part, they run a great camp.
All three of our little dudes have attended Camp Cheerio (no relation to or association with the cereal) up in the mountains of North Carolina. Each of our dudes have really loved their time there. Two years ago, George of the Jungle aged out. Last year was Zippy the Monkey Boy’s last time at that camp. This year, Speed Racer will be attending without benefit of brothers. He can’t decide if he’s going to be sad or going to explode with joy because he doesn’t have to watch out for surprise noogies.
The two older little dudes are going a bit farther afield. Last year, George of the Jungle went to Costa Rica to help rehabilitate habitats for endangered animals on a wildlife preserve. He got 25 community service hours and had the time of his life traveling with Rustic Pathways, a teen travel and service organization. This year, he’s going with Rustic Pathways to New Orleans to help rehabilitate homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. He’ll be there working and playing for about two weeks. He actually said he didn’t want to go out of the country this time because it would be “too much hassle.” He stuck to it, even after we had the doctor check him over for hidden head trauma.
Zippy the Monkey Boy has signed up to travel to the United Kingdom and tour Scotland, Ireland and England with a number of his classmates and other high-school dudes from around Charlotte with Educational Tours. Not so many opportunities for service with this one, but he will be exposed to a different culture or two.
We know these are all expensive, but they’re worth every penny in the joy and horizon-broadening they bring to the little dudes. So start researching now if you want your little dude or dudette to experience the joys of sleep-away camp or even find a service opportunity.
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