Dear Matzav Inbox,
I recently viewed a video clip showing campers at a popular boys’ camp expressing significant distress and crying as they prepared to depart for the end of the season. While I completely understand that camp is a place where wonderful bonds are formed and that it is natural for children to feel a touch of sadness when leaving a cherished environment, I found myself deeply troubled by the intensity of the emotions on display and the role the staff played in shaping them.
It is difficult to escape the conclusion that these precious boys were actively encouraged and perhaps even choreographed by staff members to engage in these heavy, public displays of grief. From a chinuch perspective, I have been reflecting on whether this is truly the message we want to nurture in our children.
Wouldn’t proper chinuch be to gently guide the boys, reminding them that while we had an inspiring and joyful time at camp, it is now time to transition with excitement, grace, and maturity back to their primary focus: their year-round Torah study and their comforting obligations at home?
When we place such heavy, dramatic emphasis on the “loss” of camp, we risk inadvertently framing the rest of the year—and our daily responsibilities—as a disappointing “waiting period” rather than the true, beautiful arena of personal and spiritual growth. Our educational approach should foster emotional resilience, helping children take the warmth and inspiration they found in the summer and channel it lovingly directly into their winter routines, rather than leaving them overwhelmed by unnecessary separation anxiety.
Sincerely,
A Grandmother in Lakewood
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