DenverPost.com
Families reconnect at family camp

Tuesday, August 14, 2001 - For some, an organized camp takes the burden off trying to do it themselves. "We'd try to do things as a family, take a hike or a backpack trip, but something would always come up, some scheduling problem and we'd never do it," says Ross Sheely of Littleton, who will attend the camp for the third time this year with his wife and three kids, now 13, 10 and 7 years old. "It's a wonderful bit of voluntary isolation."

At the JCC Ranch Camp, the family weekend is an opportunity for parents to get a taste of the Jewish heritage of the camp, participate in a rodeo like their kids have and gently introduce reticent younger children to the fun that awaits when old enough to attend on their own.

But the overriding theme at camp is kidlike fun. Sixty years between stints at camp didn't deter Margaret Hill of Littleton from attending Cheley last summer as a sort of family reunion with her two daughters and granddaughter who live out of state. At 69, Hill opted for hikes and day trips to Rocky Mountain National Park and rest. "I enjoyed every minute, but I was really tired," she says.

There are those who may be suspicious that family camp is just an indication that parents these days can't separate from their offspring. Camp should be like the movie "Meatballs," a place where kids are ecstatic to be free of parental restraint, some say. And some children, particularly older ones, may prefer to camp solo, without family in tow. "Parents need to not overstep their boundaries, and (should) discuss as a family whether it is something everyone wants to do," says Carol Tierney, a licensed clinical psychologist in Boulder who treats children and families. "It all depends how the camp is set up, so the togetherness is not coerced, and there are plenty of activities to do as a family and also separately."

But in many ways family camps are an antidote to one of the sins of modern life - overscheduling - where there's too much on the agenda and little room for family-style down time. One thing that gets lost in all the busyness is unpressured family fun, says Alvin Rosenfeld, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and author, with Nicole Wise, of "The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap."

"It's great for families to hang out together, play games and be unproductive," says Rosenfeld. "Families need non-goal-oriented time."

Adults need that as much as children, and family camp may be the excuse they need to schedule a much-needed retreat, an opportunity to recapture something that's been missing.

"Camp has brought me back to my values, made me appreciate simple, uncomplicated life," says Ross Sheely, who has become such a devotee of family camp that he's thinking of signing up as a counselor. "Hanging out around the campfire with the other parents, I realized that although we're adults, we are all still kids. And even though I'm 43, I am fun! I had just forgotten."

Jeffrey Scott of Boulder, reads to his son Ozzie in front of the fireplace as they dry out on a recent damp morning at Cheley Family Camp. Counselor Robin Henderson talks to camper Emily Horne, from Georgia, as she was drying out as well.

Family camps
This year's family camps have been filled, but it's not too late to sign up for next year. Here's how:

J Bar CC Ranch Camp, 21441 N. Elbert Road, Elbert, CO 80106; 303-841-2137 (summer), 303-316-6384 (fall-spring), www.ranchcamp.org. Family weekend is mid-August. Cost per person: $150 (adults), $100 (ages 12-18), $75 (ages 4-11), free under 3. (Membership in Denver's Jewish Community Center is required.)

Cheley Colorado Camps, P.O. Box 1170, Estes Park, CO 80517; 970-586-4244 (summer), 303-377-3616 (fall-spring), 800-226-7386 (out-of-state), www.cheley.com. Family Camp is in August. Cost per person: $500 (9 and up), $250 (4-8).

For more camps check out www.KidsCamps.com.