The rise of the Helicopter Mom in the past two decades has also given rise to a generation of young adults ill-prepared for the real world in front of them. Nearly half of entering 4-year college students graduate within 6 years. 1 out of 3 children in their late twenties still live at home, and top employers have decreed a “talent crisis” amongst potential new hires in regards to grit, resiliency and coping skills.

High Ropes Adventure at Liberty Lake!

The natural tendency for most parents is to protect their young, just like a lioness with her cubs. But the lion knows when it’s time to take their young out into the jungle to learn how to hunt, aware that one day soon, they will have to provide for the pack. For many American parents, this is realized too late.

A Mom/friend of mine has a school bus stop in front of her house, yet insists on driving her children to school- why? She is concerned about what will be heard or said to her kids while not supervised by an adult. But sheltering her kids from the bus also shelters them from the vital potential learning experience of navigating uncharted waters of socialization and communication. Like flowers, our children need to be outside in the sun to flourish, not stuck in houses and cars.

Taking risks and making mistakes are essential learning experiences and key to a child’s development into a healthy, independent and functioning adult. What’s important is having an understanding of what is safe in terms of risk-taking, and what risky behavior can constitute a lack of safety. This can only happen though, with parents willing to encourage safe risk taking.

This doesn’t mean just giving your child carte blanche on climbing a tree. What we need to do as parents is to mentor our kids as to which tree is climbable, when to climb, how high to climb, and climbing with a friend. Allowing your child to purchase items at the store on their own, trusting them to be out of your sight lines, trusting them to walk to the park, sleep over a friend’s house- all situations which present themselves to our kids, and all “teachable moments” for parents to talk through the risks with their kids, while knowing the rewards of allowing them to do so.

The exhilarating feeling of swimming in the deep end of the lake!

I think back to when I went away to college, to my friend who never experienced any risks or challenges at home, how college quickly became a dangerous place, and forced him to drop out mid-sophomore year with a serious drug problem. Then there was another friend who slept through all his finals before he dropped out- At home, his mother woke him up every day of his life, so he never learned how to do it himself. Young adults cannot judge what “safe risks” are, without the guidance of adults coaching them through the risky opportunities that present themselves each day.

One place that children get to navigate the waters of challenging situations, without the input of their parents is at Summer Camp. At Camp, children are given significant independence and opportunities to make decisions on the fly- some good, some not so good, but all safe. Supervised by teens and adults that are admired and often listened to better than parents, children grow at Camp by leaps and bounds in a very short time.

Climbing the rock wall, taking the deep water test, getting on stage in front of a crowd, standing up for yourself when necessary, trying new things- Ask anyone who has sent their child to a quality Summer Day Camp. It’s remarkable how children rise to the occasion and grow like beautiful flowers under the summer sun!

Andy Pritikin

Owner/Director, Liberty Lake Day Camp

President, American Camp Association, New York and New Jersey

@libertylaker1