Parents Request Information

A Note To Parents: 

At Camp Mac, we have always believed that the role of the parent is to prepare the child for the path, not to prepare the path for the child.  In recent years, we've noticed that fewer and fewer parents seem to share that belief. But our expectations for our campers' development have remained high, and our mission continues to be to find and partner with those parents who believe as we do.

We continue to look for parents who realize that if their children are to learn to succeed in life, they first have to learn that, sooner or later, failure is inevitable, but failure isn't final. Parents who make sure their children avoid failure by not encouraging them to step out on their own and tackle the bigger challenges also make sure their children will avoid the confidence and satisfaction that comes with the success of eventually learning to master those challenges.

We believe children need to learn that you really only fail when you stop trying. As author and speaker, Seth Godin, says, "Failure is an event, not a destination."

For generations, parents have given their children the opportunity to attend summer camp for many different reasons. But one of the most important reasons is quite simple: To offer those children opportunities for learning and growth that parents simply can't provide at home.

At Camp Mac, our staff works hard so that our campers can have fun. And our counselors learn that the more they give the kids, the more they take away themselves. But, while children come to camp to "have fun", that's really not why we've been here since 1948.

Our focus is on the long term, and how we can partner with our camp parents to make a difference in each child's life that will last a lifetime. Former Harvard University president, Charles Eliot, once stated, "I have the conviction that a few weeks in a well-organized summer camp may be of more value educationally than a whole year of formal school work."

If you ask a parent if they want their child to be responsible, confident, determined, independent, self-reliant and courageous, almost every mom and dad would say, "Of course." But many parents seem to expect their children to learn those skills without leaving their parents' sides. Responsibility is taught by giving it away, not by taking it away.

Camp Mac parents are different. As much as they love their kids and cherish every moment with them, they know that little birds can't learn to fly in the nest. So they prepare their children for camp – and for life, and encourage them to test their wings. It's been said that school prepares a child for college, and summer camp prepares a child for life.

As one camp parent observed, "I wouldn't expect him to be able to do well in Math or English in college if he didn't practice those skills growing up. How can I expect him to go off to school, adjust to living on his own, and become a confident, self-reliant young man if I never let him leave my side until then?"

Camp Mac parents understand that protecting their children from the possibility of failure builds an unsustainable self-esteem, and they want their children to be self-reliant, not self-absorbed. They understand that awards and trophies given to everyone on the team for just showing up have little meaning when compared to those honors we work hard for and earn.

They know that children need to learn that if you fall down, you get back up, you dust yourself off and you try again. You can't be great at everything you attempt the first time you try it, and you can't learn persistence and determination if well-meaning adults constantly intervene and plan things so that there are never disappointments. There must be an opportunity to fail, as well as succeed, in order to learn courage. As John Wayne said, "Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway."

We know that summer camp is good for kids, and that there are as many different kinds of summer camps as there are different kinds of kids. We encourage every family to look for and find a camp that is the right "fit" for them. No single camp, Camp Mac included, is the right choice for every child, and we have never tried to be all things for all people. We recognize that we serve a select group of families who see a bigger picture and want more for their children than a simple, short-term summer camp experience.

Former Camp Mac parents and former campers who share our goals and values tell us that the summers spent here as a child were among the best times of their lives, and that they are who they are today because of the experiences they shared, the friends they made, and the life lessons they learned here "Among the Pines".

The McBride Family

 

 

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2671 CHEAHA ROAD, MUNFORD, AL 36268 - 256.362.7449 - office@campmac.com