Clarification

I've had some questions on just what family camp is. I too was confused when I first heard of it because it's just not something that we do down here. The churches are much bigger, and the camps too full. In MN however, there is only one C of C camp in the state. They have 8 sessions I think, and two of them are family camps. This means that everyone can go from infant to grandparent. There quite a few babies and toddlers there, and Cole's class of 4 year olds was pretty large. If a kid is of camper age (8 and older), they are allowed to stay in a cabin with other campers their own age. It's more like a regular camp session for them, only they still see their families a few times a day. We saw Hannah and Mya at all of the meals, chapel, sometimes we went to see what they were doing at craft time, and then for the evening activity. They were with their cabins the whole time though, so we didn't talk or sit together much.

I actually think that it's a great way to introduce new campers to camp, and make them feel a little more secure, because their families are close by in case they have a melt down. This is not something that I ever dealt with, but a lot of kids are nervous their first time and camp, and get a little homesick. This was the perfect way for Mya to spend her first year as a camper, and it was nice that she had been up there the year before, but had stayed with the family because she wasn't old enough yet.

One interesting thing about Flaming Pine is that the regular camp sessions don't seem to ever be full, so Katie and Laurie used to go to camp for a couple of weeks, and then when their sessions were over, they'd often call home and ask to stay for the next session, which they were allowed to do. Other kids spend most of their summer up there, and if they can't afford to pay for camp, they can work one week of camp off for one week of work, so if they were campers for 2 weeks at teen camp, then they would work in the kitchen for two weeks of other sessions. I thought this was a neat idea.

Anyway, I hope that clears it up a little. Basically, it was just like going to Iron Springs or Sooner, only there were entire families instead of just the campers, counselors, and a director.