Greetings from Camp Mishawaka,

I wasn’t looking for child rearing advice from the man who delivered sod to us this week, but that is what I think I got.

I had spent the better part of the weekend preparing the surface: grading, raking, re-grading and re-raking. You might say I became obsessed with it. Yet for all my work, I was left with a surface that had quite a few imperfections- a bump here, a low spot there. My main goal was achieved. The water was going to run away from the house, and as long as that was the case, I felt I could live with the rest of it.

When the sod arrived, the sod-farmer and delivery man helped me correct a few potential problems and offered the following advice: “Water it until it becomes saturated during the early stages. As the sod matures, slowly pull back on the watering so it can establish roots.” If I were to keep it over-saturated, it would never learn to live on its own.

What he did not tell me is how I will know when it is time to “pull back” on the watering. Sure, I can find lots of advice from the internet, the garden center, the neighbor, but it seems that I get as many different answers as people I ask. I have resolved just to somehow “know” when it is time.

I could not help but think of the parallels of my sod experience and being a parent, specifically, the parent of a child who is going off to camp this summer. In so many ways, I think that a Mishawaka experience can help children sprout their own roots, not physical roots necessarily, but emotional ones that can attach when it is time. The camp experience also provides children with a sense of healthy attachments away from home, taking root in soil that will nurture them for years to come.

Just like our sod, our children will always need our attention and the right mix of food, water, and sunlight, as well as a chance to grow. And just like with our sod, as a parent, I keep looking for the definitive manual, to no avail. So, Julie and I are left to trust our instincts, watch the signs, and adjust our approach as needed.

Thank you for sharing your child with us this summer and providing him or her with this opportunity to learn and grow. I used to think of it as a “leap of faith” (sending a child off to camp). More and more I realize it’s an act of love, instinctual but nonetheless a bit frightening.

We take our responsibility very seriously and look forward to the opportunities ahead this summer. As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if I can be of any help.

Oh, and if you know anything about growing sod, I am always happy to hear from you!

Best regards,

Steve