My Introduction to Sleepaway Camp
August 27, 2025
One of the things I love most about camp is that whether you’re 6 months old, 6 years old, or 66 years old, camp is for you.
But, I didn’t know that growing up. In fact, this may be surprising to hear, but I didn’t go to camp as a kid. I played summertime sports, so to me that was traveling for weekend softball tournaments, playing outdoor basketball leagues under the lights, and running around in the dewy morning grass for early soccer practices. I still loved summers of course. But camp? No, thank you.
Overnight camp to me back then was bugs, and swimming in a lake with things I couldn’t see, and meeting people I didn’t know, and leaving my parents for way longer than I wanted to. I tried it. Day camp here. Rec camp there. Maybe one night at a weekend 4H camp. I was happy during the summer to be playing sports, going to the beach, swimming at friends’ pools, and sleeping in my own bed at night.
Fast forward to the spring of my senior year in college. My boyfriend at the time was returning to this place in Maine called Camp Manitou for Boys where he had spent his college summers working. We were both about to graduate and start teaching in the fall. I had two choices. I could a) return to Rhode Island for the summer (remember beaches and pools and friends?); or b) I could be with my boyfriend at camp (remember bugs and yucky lake and people I don’t know?). Undoubtedly, I chose to spend my summer with him, and that meant I chose camp.
In June, I left for summer camp and never looked back (well, actually, I did, but that story is for another day). What was important, though, was that I learned that summer that camp was actually for me.
And guess what? Every single summer that I come back to camp it’s for me because I get to grow, and play, and explore. And really, I’m a different me every summer so undoubtedly I grow in new ways, and play in new ways, and explore in new ways. And I can’t wait to tell you about all of those at some point too (be warned, though, you might decide you want to come to camp too). But back to what I said at the beginning, I really believe that whether you’re 6 months old, 6 years old, or 66 years old, camp is literally for you.
Case in point:
-
When my youngest daughter, Harper, came to camp literally at 6 months old during COVID summer, she swam in the lake and ate outside with friends, and learned to crawl and it was the most glorious summer ever.
-
When my older daughters started at Somerset at 7, camp was for them when Gabby hopped right up on stage to share her talented stuffed animal chameleon that could dance, and Bailey proudly pushed herself to run in the Somerset 5K road race.
-
Camp is even for some of our dearest friends at Manitou, Todd (aka the Toddfather) and Lynne (Dr. Lynne according to Harper), who are both retired professionals and still love slinging dough in the pizza oven, reffing a basketball game, or helping pass out meds at bedtime.(Don’t worry Nechtems, I won’t disclose your ages).
What I have learned is that the magic in camp is the way we get to grow and play and explore, and learn to be the best versions of ourselves, no matter how old we are.
Now let’s go back to 2005, my first summer at Manitou. I didn’t realize then that it was my introduction to sleepaway camp. And boy has that come full circle as Stacey and I get to imagine and create Camp Eastwood, an introduction to sleepaway camp, for all of you.
With lots of camp love,
Lauren
Lauren’s camp journey began at Camp Manitou after university where she was a collegiate basketball captain and earned her degree in elementary education. She and her husband spent many summers at camp while building careers as educators and coaches. After nearly two decades in the classroom, she transitioned full-time as Camp Mantiou’s, Associate Director. Though she didn’t attend overnight camp as a child, her own children’s experiences as well as hers at Manitou deepened her belief in its power to build confidence and independence. She is looking forward to bringing her knowledge and passion to her work as Co-Director of Camp Eastwood alongside Stacey.