AYDEN
OKC MOM MAUTRA, LEFT, LOVED ATTENDING SUMMER CAMPS AS A CHILD.
BJ
BJ, 11, and mom Mautra
BJ has attended literacy camp at Freedom School, basketball and soccer camps and YMCA summer camp. Mautra attended Camp
Classen, pom and cheer, church and 4H camps. What did you learn at summer camp?
BJ: I learned a lot of basketball skills and how to play dodgeball. And I learned how to make new friends. Mautra:I learned to be adventurous and brave and to interact with people who may not look like me or are from different walks of life. I learned to be sensitive to other cultures and gained a greater appreciation for nature. What advice do you have for other kids going to camp? BJ: Look for other kids to play with and ask if they want to be friends. How did summer camp shape who you are today? Mautra:When you’re thrust into an environment you’re not familiar with, you learn to adapt and make the best of it. You learn problem solving and critical thinking skills and that it’s OK to learn by trial and error. A lot of those skills are transferable to school and the workplace.
Ayden, 10, and mom Abigail Ayden has attended summer camp at the YMCA for the past five years, which Abigail also attended. What’s your favorite part of summer camp? Ayden: I like going on field trips to different waterparks, playing outside and playing games. What did you learn at summer camp? Ayden: I learned to try my best and not give up. Abigail: We both learned to swim at the YMCA summer
camp! I remember learning new skills and how to make new friends.
What do you think your mom would have been like at summer camp? BJ: She would have been nervous and shy but she would have made friends.
Has the camp changed since you were a kid? Abigail: They have a lot of the same activities
and focus on the same core values,
respect, responsibility, honesty and caring. I see
that reflected in Ayden, how caring and responsible he is, and that’s something I really like about the Y. What do you think your mom would have been like at summer camp? Ayden: She would have been nice and caring to everyone.
METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / APRIL 2020 41
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