It’s 4th of July and I sit on my favorite porch at camp and listen to my 40 teenagers howl at fireworks and laugh whole-heartedly. Then it hit me. For many of them this is the most they have acted like a kid in ages. I see it every year – teenagers forgetting that they still ARE kids and still allowed to BE kids. They don’t have to rush to that scary unknown territory of adulthood yet.

There are hundreds of articles about how camp is good for kids of all ages and I agree with them.

I am not an expert on child development, but I did spend the last four summers of my life living with 14-15-year-old girls and serving as the Upper Camp Unit Coordinator at Camp El Tesoro – for those who aren’t “campy” that means I was a mom to six staff members and 60 amazing, sometime frustrating but always beautiful, teenagers. People thought I was crazy when I told them my job and all I could say was it is my dream.

Teenagers at camp already have something going for them. Camp is a place where silly is the norm and the “cool” people are the ones who belt their hearts out to Adele’s “Hello” with no shame. So being a kid at camp is a little bit easier. However, the battles I have seen my kids face in the “real world” are the issues at hand.

Summers as teenagers are a scheduling masterpiece. When I was a kid I was a competitive dancer and it was intense, but my dance teachers understood the need for a break. I had no problem taking two weeks off to go to camp. Now, between the football camps, the school retreats, the PSAT prep course, etc., it makes the idea of prioritizing two weeks for camp impossible – let alone four weeks for a Counselor in Training program.

There is a high priority placed on teens in today’s world to be involved in sports, clubs, student council and other activities. I just have one plea to today’s parents and to the teenagers themselves: Don’t give up truly being a kid for the “perfect” college resume. Don’t start planning what your career is going to be and how you’re going to get there when you’re 14 – or younger. These things truly can wait (or at least be postponed) for a few weeks.

Have dreams. Have goals. But enjoy being a kid. Enjoy a game of kickball even if you feel silly. Bask in the glory of cloud gazing with your friends. Treat yourself to a dance in the rain. Howl at the moon when you feel like the sky is falling. Remind yourself you are still a kid. Going to a camp for a week or two won’t throw a loop in your life plan. Being a kid is such a short-lived privilege, don’t cut it short y’all – there is plenty of time to be adults so right now . . . howl at the fireworks.

Kelsey Kraatz has been involved with Camp Fire Camp El Tesoro since she was five years old. She grew up as a camper, graduated the CIT program, acted as the special events coordinator for three years. She most recently served as the upper camp coordinator in Summer 2016. Kelsey has a Bachelor’s of Science in marketing from San Diego State University. El Tesoro has always been a home for Kelsey and she continues to hope it is a home for youth now. Camp taught Kelsey that you are never too old to believe in magic.