QUICK LIST

Bright Beginnings Preschool

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Covenant School, The

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Frost Montessori School

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Light House Studio

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North Branch School

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Piedmont Family YMCA

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Playful Learners Preschool

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SOCA

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St. Anne’s-Belfield School

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STEAM Discovery Academy

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Triple C Camp

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Virginia Discovery Museum

See ad page 53 friend. Lauren was outgoing and never failed to make a new friend everywhere she went, simply by just going up and talking to people as if it was no big deal. Lauren’s way of moving through her life taught me how easy it is to meet someone, showing how most of the people around me wanted to make friends, too, if I just started a conversation.

The summer after fifth grade, I went to camp alone again, but because of Lauren I knew to bring a snack as a conversation starter. I befriended the girl in the bunk next to me by offering her some sour gummy worms and asking where she was from. By the end of the week, I had made more friends in that cabin than I had any summer before—some of them I never saw at camp again, and a few are people I still consider some of my closest friends even 11 years later as I prepare to graduate college. As each of us has gotten older, we have all acknowledged that camp not only made us find lifelong friendships, but it made each of us more outgoing, confident people.

The lessons I learned at camp about confidence and finding a friend in any situation have carried over far beyond finding a partner to go tubing with or a friend who wants to try rock climbing together. Becoming accustomed to the almost overly friendly environment of camp made me expect this everywhere I went. I began to find myself talking to kids my own age in every aspect of my life in an effort to maintain the friendliness I expected from others. Whether I was befriending a girl in the neighboring town at a local tennis tournament or making conversation with new students at school, I was nearly constantly talking to someone, somewhere—a marked difference between the quiet 8-year-old my parents had dropped off in 2006.

My dad often tells me how nervous he and my mom were dropping me off at camp 14 years ago and how relieved they were when they came back to get me.

“We pulled out and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, we’re really just leaving her here. All week. We’re just going to drive off,’” my dad says, “And we show back up and you just run out with all these friends.” The older I get, the more I begin to realize just how worried my parents must have been driving off that first time with their little girl sitting alone on her bunk while everyone around her sat with friends.

One thing I wish I could have told my 8-year-old self, and something I think all parents should tell their shy children going to camp for the first time, is that almost everyone in that cabin wants to make friends just as much as you do. Even campers who come with a friend want to make new ones! The environment of camp is inherently structured to help children meet people and make friends: games often require partners, cabin activities actively encourage campers to talk to one another, and learning new skills usually requires kids to interact with one another. Not to mention the addition of staff into the cabin, who look out for shy campers and help them connect with others.

Another thing I wish I could have told myself in 2006: bring a snack. You’d be surprised what even a bag of pretzels can accomplish, especially among children. One Oreo changed me and helped me make a friend who I would keep in touch with for three years, who taught me important lessons about confidence by example. If your child isn’t sure what to say next after offering another camper a snack, tell them to ask what activities they’re going to take. Odds are they have at least one similar interest (you’re both at camp)! And no matter whether you