From the ages of 7 to 17, my parents sent me to sleep-away camp for weeks. Starting at two weeks and quickly building up to six, I spent my summers away from home in Shelby, Michigan, on the sand dunes of Camp Miniwanca.
Camp Miniwanca was a traditional sleepaway camp, helping campers find balance in their lives mentally, physically, socially, and religiously or spiritually. The campers enjoyed crafting, sailing, swimming, dancing, reflection, and games — it was a haven for us all and a beautiful place to spend summers.
At first it was hard
I will admit, as a young child, the first few summers at camp weren’t easy. I was constantly homesick, always thinking about what my parents were up to back at home. I would write letters daily and pore over the ones my mom and dad sent back, hooked on every tidbit they shared, no matter how mundane. My parents would share updates on their weekend plans, what my mom cooked for dinner, and their Fourth of July parties — nothing out of the ordinary, but I would read and reread the letters, wishing I could have been there too.
But when those early summers ended, and my mom picked me up from camp, I felt proud. I had made it. Six full weeks without my mom tucking me in at night, my familiar neighborhood, the security of my normal routine. I stretched, I grew, and I was less dependent than I was at the start of the camp session.
As I got older, into my middle school and high school years, the homesickness began to fade until it disappeared completely, and camp became my surrogate home for those weeks. I couldn’t wait for June to come so I could spend time on the sand dunes and reconnect with my camp friends, girls whom I continued to see every summer and kept in touch with during the school year, too.
I was myself at camp
I was able to be myself completely at camp. I never had to worry about being judged by my camp friends and was able to grow in many ways, slowly becoming more confident, more curious, and more spirited.
But no matter how old I got, I would always tear up when my mom dropped me off and when I would see her again on the last day. The space away from both home and my parents made me miss them and love them in a different way. Being away from my parents for an extended period of time broke up the monotonous school drop-offs, sports practices, and piano lessons and gave me a fresh appreciation for them.
I don’t have kids now, but if I do in the future, I will definitely send them to sleepaway camp. My mom grew up spending her summers at Miniwanca as well and knew then, too, that she would want to send her future children there.
I made lifelong friends
While I didn’t see it as a child, I see now how I grew every summer in a very different way than I would have if I were spending summers at home. Maybe the time away from my school friends, who spent most of their summers together back home, made me miss out on new inside jokes and memories, but I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything.
Besides my growth, I gained lifelong friends thanks to our summers together at Miniwanca. These girls provided a shoulder to cry on while I was young and homesick, a friend to laugh with on the beach, and a support system when we spent time outside camp on excursions biking, hiking, or kayaking. Throughout the school year, my camp friends and I exchanged letters, phone calls, texts, and even planned winter reunions annually because we couldn’t bear the thought of waiting a full year to see each other again.
We still feel like this: this past April, we spent a long weekend in Washington, DC, and will reunite again this October at one of my camp friend’s weddings. Our group chat is updated constantly, filled with book recommendations, job changes, and new relationship statuses. We know each other’s families well — and after nearly 20 years of being friends, we are practically family now, too.
I feel immensely lucky to have made such special friends who have supported me unconditionally through dark middle school days, first relationships and breakups, college decisions, and now major life milestones like marriage and moving across the country.
I feel lucky that my parents were able to send me to camp every year, a place that quickly became a sanctuary.
I feel lucky to have spent time away from home every summer, gaining my independence and bits of myself. Summer camp molded me into the girl I was and the woman I’ve become — independent, curious, and always searching for the next adventure.
