Where Childhood Memories Are Sweetest

What was THE sweetest moment in your childhood? Take a 10 second pause to recall the memory but don’t overthink it or analyze it. What experience comes to mind?

When I reflected on my own childhood memory, I was taken back to the summers when I would visit my cousins with my grandparents in eastern Oregon. Upon arriving, Chris, who was 1 week older than I and Matt, 2 years our junior would hop on our bikes and ride until the street lights came on. Eventually Kate, their younger sister would join us after years of not being allowed to hang with the big kids. We would often wander aimlessly with no real destination or reason other than to explore on our own.

Although the boys always knew exactly how to get home, I generally had no clue exactly where I was, nor did I care.

One summer I remember creating challenges for each other around the parks and church fences in their “downtown.” We would create these long complex courses and maneuvers attempting to complete each circuit without touching the ground, which was of course “hot lava.” It was during one of these challenges that we turned the corner and there sat a semi-truck and double trailer, loaded with hay bales. I’m sure you can guess the next challenge. Before I knew it, we were scrambling up the bales of hay and leaping back and forth from trailer to trailer. While the leap was small, being 14 feet up in the air made it dangerous and exciting… and a reason for a stern lecture from my uncle when the adults discovered what we were up to.

Were your parents there for your sweetest childhood memory? Mine weren’t and if yours weren’t either, then you are in good company. According to Dr. Michael Thompson in his book, Homesick and Happy: How Time Away from Parents Can Help a Child Grow

Now, of course I’m not advocating that you allow your children to roam the streets of your town, climbing up walls and jumping hay trucks, but do there have the opportunity to form memories of their own away from you?

In our modern society, parents want to be involved in nearly all aspects of our children’s lives and it can be difficult to let go and give them the opportunity to make memories without us. But if we want to raise loving, productive, moral and independent young adults that is exactly what we need to do. 

Part of the “magic of camp” relates to the fact that in order for kids to grow, face their fears, and ultimately become more responsible, they have to take healthy risks and do it on their own away from their parents. Their self-esteem cannot be created through parental support, they earn that character and confidence by building skills.

“…camp ushers your children into a thrilling environment—an electronics-free zone, a multigenerational community, meaningful daily rituals like group meals and cabin clean-up, and a place where time simply slows down. In the buggy woods, icy swims, campfire sing-alongs, and daring adventures, children have emotionally significant and character-building experiences. They often grow in ways that surprise even themselves.”

Curb the impulse to help your child navigate the world. Let them mess up, make mistakes, and then figure out how to rebound. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s the only way to allow them to grow confidence.

Children are quite capable of more responsibility than we give them credit for and sometimes it is necessary for parent’s to step aside and ask other adults to take over. Or better yet to send our children off to summer camp where a camp counselor is more likely to get them to pick their clothes up off the floor than we are. 

Learn More About our Parent-Free Camp Two Roads Programming.

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