Shabbat-O-Gram: 5/9/25

Dear families,

In honor of Mother’s Day this weekend, I have a gift for you.

Not flowers. Not chocolate. Not even a camp tie dye. My gift is this: I promise that when your child comes home from Camp Kingswood this summer, they’ll be doing at least one thing you never thought they’d learn to do on their own.

They might come home putting their clothes away without being asked. Or showering without negotiation. Or eating broccoli. They may even ask you how your day was at the dinner table, because they’ve gotten in the habit of sharing “rose, bud, and thorn” each night at bedtime with their bunk.

I know it sounds impossible. But I know it’s true, because it happened for me at camp too.

It was the summer of ‘86, and the theme of Color War was Wizard of Oz. I was on the yellow team, and my station for the Great Race — the final and most important event of Color War — was making a bed with hospital corners. Clearly, I was a very talented camper. 😉 I learned how to do it perfectly that day because there was no way I was going to be the reason my team lost.

When I got home a week later, I made my bed and called my mom into my room. She stood in the doorway staring at me, slack-jawed. “Who are you and what have you done with Jodi?” she said, laughing. But I saw the pride in her eyes.

Now, I’m not promising your kids will all come home expert bed-makers, but I am saying they’re going to surprise you. Camp has a funny way of helping kids rise to the occasion — not because someone’s nagging them, but because they want to. They’re part of a community where pitching in, showing up, and stepping up just feels…natural.

So this Mother’s Day, consider this your sneak preview. The glimpse of what’s to come. Your camper may leave a few socks behind at camp, but they’ll come home at least a little more independent and responsible than when they left.

And when you walk into their bedroom in September and see their bed made, I hope you remember this note and smile.

Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat, a restful Mother’s Day, and a love-filled weekend,
Jodi