by Lisa, parent, Greenwich, Connecticut

As adults we are sometimes cursed and sometimes blessed by having the skill of reflection. It is often my habit to look back at my life and wonder or think about the ‘what ifs’ or how different decisions could have changed my life. Although we obviously make our decisions with the best information that we have at the time, the future allows us to postulate how we could have made better decisions or what we wished we had done differently. It is so easy to gain more clarity with perfect hindsight! But there are a few decisions, not many, which I have made that hindsight has given me the clarity that I have made the perfect decision. One I know for sure has been sending my son to Camp Moosilauke for the past five years. My son Nick is my oldest so I spent quite a bit of time researching camps and asking questions of friends with older children. I really was at a loss as to where to begin: hundreds of choices, single gender or mixed, geared towards adventure, entertainment or sports, large or small, etc. I quickly had a sense that different types of kids and families would be happy at different types of camps so I spent some time trying to think about what would make both my son and our family have a great experience. Based on watching camp videos and scouring websites I settled on Moosilauke, sight unseen, and nervously sent my ten year old off to camp without any home town friends. My research made me believe that Moosilauke had the right balance of trying new things, encouraging each child to be their best, the right approach to athletics, teaching kids to respect and enjoy the outdoors, requiring kids to have responsibilities and Moosilauke would be able to accomplish all of these things while the kids were having an enormous amount of fun. So on the first day of camp my husband and I drove Nick to Orford with my daughter in tow. We arrived and were given Nick’s cabin assignment and helped to set him up in his summer home. After the required first day check-ins, we joined Sabina and Bill and all the other parents for an introduction and overview of not only what Camp Moosilauke is about, but why the camp takes the approach it does. At the end of the meeting I said good bye to Nick with tears streaming down my face. My tears were not because I was leaving my young son for the first time, but because I knew, with perfect clarity, that I had made one of the most important and best decisions of my life. Having Nick spend time with the McMahons and all of the great people at Moosilauke is more than just a great way to spend a few weeks in the summer. It is a way to positively influence and shape the man my son will become.