Independent.
Happy.
Responsible.
We all want the same things for our children.
But…how do we get them there?
One thing we’re losing in our culture are rites of passage. It’s a shame because they play a major role in helping kids become independent, happy, responsible adults. All of us, our kids included, have become accustomed to receiving things effortlessly, electronically, and nearly instantly. The ascent to adulthood is marked less with meaningful rituals and more frequently with gadgetry. Happy 13th, now you can have a cell phone! Happy 16th, I got you an iPad!
A rite of passage marks the transition from one meaningful phase of life to the next. Ritualizing these moments for your children is how they internalize values and beliefs, rise to new levels of expectations, and acquire maturity, confidence, and pride in their ability.
Middle School is the ideal time to introduce a rite of passage and the very reason I started offering summer camps 9 years ago.
Athena’s Path & Hero’s Pursuit camps may not be what you think. Sending your child to one of our camps isn’t the same as sending them to sports, or art, or overnight camp. It’s an important rite of passage that celebrates their ascent to the next meaningful phase of their life and gives them all the tools they need to navigate through this incredibly important time of life as independent, happy, and responsible young people.
This summer, we have 8 girls camps and 3 boys camps. We also have “private camps” being held in churches, homes, and neighborhood club houses. If you don’t see what you need on our schedule, ask us about a private camp.
You can learn more about what we do at camp and see the summer schedule here.
Michelle is our resident middle school expert. Please visit her website www.MichelleintheMiddle.com and hang out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/middleschoolrelief.
