Camper quote of the day: “When life gives you lemons, make grape juice and make them wonder how you did it”

Champini Couples

Tonight, we had the campers dress up their counselors as famous couples.  Most of the couples were camp-related (Shirley Sir and Helen Ma’am, Chef John and Shirley Ma’am, Susie Ma’am and Steve Sir), but we also had a few camper favorites (Shrek and Fiona, Buzz Lightyear and Sandy).  Be looking for the photos today.  They are really fun.

A Kneed for Fashion

I posted a blog on July 22 that discussed the tendency of our children to add unnecessary drama to our lives.

In it, I shared a letter from another camp that our oldest daughter wrote to us.  On the outer envelope, she simply shared one sentence: “I think I popped my left hip out of place.”  She provided no further explanation or prognosis.  She left us to do what parents do, envision the worst case scenario and worry about her.

Many parents responded to this one.  Some told us about letters that they had received while other shared post camp stories of imagined injuries.

This tendency has resulted in a new fashion craze: the wrapped knee.

Let me be clear, there are a couple of campers with sore knees that truly need to have them wrapped.

It is also worth noting that the Ill Eagles Nest has procured some very colorful wrapping bandages.  Some bandages have peace signs, pirates or smiley faces.  They are coveted as a fashion statement.

I should share one more important fact.  Our wonderful nurses are very good at wrapping knees and can do so quickly.  They also believe in erring on the side of extra care.  So when a camper enters the Health Center saying that her knee is sore (and yes, this is a female trend), they have been wrapping them.

They might now be regretting this policy.

We now have many more knees wrapped than we really require.  Of course, clothing trends are no stranger to camp.  I have seen campers where one sock up and one sock down, bandanas below the knee, mis-matched neon socks and plastic leis made into bracelets.  Each of these trends were started by counselors and then quickly adopted by the campers in his of her cabin.  I think it is so fun to see the little ways that campers show their appreciation of their counselors.  [Note: at least one of the trends above was a conscious effort to see if he could get the cabin to follow.  He could and they did.]

This trend, however, has a bit more drama associated with it.  Frankly, I am even a little uncomfortable writing about it for fear that you might think me unsympathetic.  Please allow me to alleviate your concern in two ways.

First, Susie Ma’am and I love our campers and hate to see them sick or hurt.  We take their ailments seriously and err on the side of care when providing care.

Second, let me share an anecdote that explains why I am unsure about the validity of all these wraps.

A 10 year-old camper was sporting her wrapped knee (I believe she was sporting a colorful purple that set off her outfit), when a bug flew onto her.  She, my dear readers, is not an entomologist and considered the alighting of this particular bug rather disturbing.  In fact, she jumped up and ran 25-30 feet away from the spot of the landing.  She ran with grace, speed, dexterity and giggles.  She, however, had forgotten her limp.

Having ascertained that the offending creature was no longer with her.  She saw the look of amusement from her friends.  As she walked back (still limplessly) when one of her friends asked her about the knee.

The limp returned.

Actually, the limp increased.

Herein lies my belief that we are seeing more of a fashion trend than an epidemic of leg joints.

Steve Sir