As camp opened yesterday, many parents wished me a happy Fathers Day as they drove by.

My first thought was simply, “We have really, really nice parents!”

My next thought was that camp is an odd place to think about Fathers Day. I say this for couple of reasons.

• Parents are not at camp. I am really the only father here. We are a father-free zone.
• Even for me, Fathers’ Day has never been a family event. If our kiddos were at camp, we did not want to interupt their experience for this day. [Note: all four of our adult children called me yesterday without prompting, something they almost never did when under our roof. So to my fellow parents out there - this is hope in maturity!]

But the spirit of fathers is here.

A great father (or mother) should be loving, present, supportive and inspirational. As parents, we strive to guide our children to maturity, independence and contentment.

Camp strives to do the same thing. The counselors, however, have one big advantage - they are cooler than real parents. [Note: I say this not to impune anyone’s coolness, but a college-aged adult that truly “sees” a young person is a powerful experience. And they know more of the culture.] We want each camper to be appreciated and known. We want them to embrace new positive experiences. When they experience challenges, we are there for them.

Think of camp as a substitute dad - just with fewer bad jokes.

So for my fellow fathers out there - please know you are valued and appreciated. We will do our best to serve in your stead for the next few weeks.

Steve Sir