Children need summer camp. Whether it is secular or religious, one week or several, day camp or residential, children need to participate in camp. I have no credentials to make this assertion. I am not a noted child psychologist or a Ph.D. in childhood development. I’m just a parent who has been to camp with … Continue reading A case for camp
Tag: Boy Scouts of America
Absolute power
Every January since 2008, I have been participating in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, a diabolical scheme in which a young boy and his dad are supposed to transform a 1.25-by-1.75-by- 7-inch block of wood into a 5-ounce vehicle capable of speeds up to 140 miles per hour. If you are an engineer or a … Continue reading Absolute power
A month’s worth of thankfulness in one serving
November brings with it a number of seasonal peculiarities: falling leaves, premature Christmas decorations, cooler temperatures and now, in the New South, daily thanksgiving posts on Facebook. I’m not sure when the trend started, but taking the month of November to post “What I am thankful for today” status updates has caught on. Yes, there … Continue reading A month’s worth of thankfulness in one serving
Summer camp in the age of Facebook
Facebook has no higher calling than when it is used to demonstrate to anxious parents that their children are still alive while they are away at camp. I’ve recently been on both sides of this phenomenon. When our oldest when to Boy Scout Camp at Camp Rainey Mountain in Northeast Georgia a couple of weeks … Continue reading Summer camp in the age of Facebook
Separation anxiety
We tell ourselves it is necessary to send our children away on their own to prepare them for adulthood. I am beginning to believe we must send our children away on their own to prepare us for their adulthood. Last Sunday morning we dropped our 11-year-old son off at the Publix parking lot where he … Continue reading Separation anxiety
Playing catch up
I’ve spent the better part of the last week in Fort Worth, Texas, working long hours, enduring incredible heat and spending time with my youngest brother and his family. The 8-day odyssey to the place of my birth felt more like two trips in one. The first four days I was engaged in the annual … Continue reading Playing catch up
The Power of Pine
For the last five years, I’ve spent one Saturday in January at a unique sporting event that induces anxiety, quickens the pulse and triggers a few tears. Of course I’m talking about the annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. This anachronistic competition is a throw-back to the days when kids made their own toys out of what … Continue reading The Power of Pine
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
I pulled Harris’ overflowing train molded cake pan out of the oven precisely at 3:30 p.m. and put the bowl containing Barron’s yellow cake mix in at 350 degrees for 42 minutes. Then I left. As I drove to Alpharetta for yet another weekend work commitment, guilt pursued me like a Lilburn cop after someone … Continue reading Bake me a cake as fast as you can
What’s your name?
After going through Cub Scouts all the way from Bobcat to Webelos with my oldest son, Barron, I’m now re-entering the cycle with Harris, my middle son. Only this time, I’ve put myself on the sacrificial altar of den leadership. Planning and executing meetings and outings with my co-leader, Kathy, isn’t the hard part. The … Continue reading What’s your name?
New South Essays 