First-time 'camper' at 40: It went swimmingly

I had always wanted to go to summer camp, but my parents couldn’t afford it. You might say I was an underprivileged kid growing up in Elmont. My summers consisted of spending time in a backyard above-ground pool and with a few girlfriends from the neighborhood.

I finally got to go to camp -- at age 40! Today is Mother's Day, but it was 30 years ago when other moms told me about an opportunity: Kids attend day camp free if the parent works there for 10 weeks. This was my big chance to finally go to camp -- as an adult enjoying the childhood experiences I never had.

I was assigned to be a poolside counselor at Merrick Woods Day Camp in Merrick. Lucky me. I took the plunge -- staying cool in the pool with eager young swimming students, including “Tadpoles,” boys and girls around age 5.  I helped the Tadpoles learn to swim, and the rest of my duties were to keep my eyes focused on all other swimmers to make sure they were always safe.

The camp manager had a bellowing, baritone voice. He blew the horn every morning at 9:30 to start the day’s activities and at the end of the day at 4:15 p.m. He also said that only mothers should be poolside guarding the children along with certified lifeguards. I was one of about five moms there.

 Our immediate pool supervisor was a high school principal and certified lifeguard with two twin daughters who were also certified lifeguards. He reminded us several times a day to never take our eyes off the kids.

My two sons attended camp free of charge in the Teen Travel Division. They traveled to amusement parks and an upstate dude ranch. Well, it was almost no cost. By the time I supplied them with incidental spending money and extra trip money, it was a hefty chunk of change but well worth it. And I got to spend 10 weeks poolside. Who could want more?

While teaching the Tadpoles to dunk and float or while I was watching advanced swimmers carrying on during free swim time, I felt like a kid. I saw great future possibilities for the 5-year-old girls. They appeared articulate, assertive and self-confident.

Then, neat things happened. One 8-year-old girl took a fancy to me and wrote me letters during the day and drew me pictures. Another one offered to braid my long brown hair during lunch break. I truly felt like “one of the girls,” at home in summer camp.

The kids’ parents touched me emotionally because they said they appreciated everything I did for their children – from calming fears to wiping tears or cheering them on in a race.

I identified with my fellow counselors – most of whom were 18 to 20 years old, all fun-loving college kids.

I felt like Thornton Melon, Rodney Dangerfield’s character in the 1986 movie “Back to School,” who enrolled in college later in life. Each morning’s live trumpet heralded a new day, and the closing sounds at day’s end meant new experiences awaited the next morning. I indeed had caught up with a slice of my long-lost childhood.

Going to camp at 40 became one of my most rewarding summer experiences. Who would have guessed? 

Reader Gloria Schramm lives in North Bellmore.