Looking back on this summer, there are so many moments that I wish I could relive. Leading a group of seven campers to the bathroom while singing and dancing to a camp song, or teaching them responsibilities like cleaning every day or brushing their teeth, is all in a days work. Don't be surprised either when one of those kids is crying at 2 in the morning because he just couldn't hold it. I know I've made it sound less than perfect, but being a camp counselor is such a unique opportunity that you should consider trying. Here's why.

You learn about yourself

There will not be a ton of opportunities in life to work in a place where you create so much of what you do. As a counselor, you decide which activities you lead with your kids each day, whether it be an introductory name game to get everyone familiar with eachother, a relaxing nature hike to get everyone moving, or a fast-paced game of quidditch to bring out the children's competitiveness, every day there were so many opportunities to chose what both my campers and myself wanted to do for fun. While making all of these decisions, you get to learn about how you make choices, how you lead groups, and how others are affected by your what you do.

You learn about others

While working at a YMCA camp this summer, I learned more about other people than I probably wanted to at the beginning of the season. Over the course of two months, I knew most of my co-workers extremely well because we all faced challenges together, and the only way to make it through the summer was as a team. If it is rest hour and the tent next to you is interrupting your campers naps, you work with the other counselors to resolve the issue. So many times during the summer were we faced with innummerable challenges that were not going to be solved alone, and with the help of others, everyone can do their best.

You learn about children

One of the most loved parts of camp is the children. Each week about seventy bright-eyed kids would arrive and you never knew what you were going to get, but you knew you had to the opportunity to make it a great week. These children came from all sorts of backgrounds, and even different countries. Over the seven weeks of working with these energizer bunny-like creatures, you realize that while you are dealing with a million things; online classes, co-workers, schedules, these little nuggets are living in the moment, moving from one fun activity to the other. You also learn a lot about how to work with children while training to be a counselor. My camp gave us two weeks of training along with a solid twenty hours of online training videos and quizzes, and although these online courses were laughable, when you were faced the most-stubborn of campers, it was the tricks we learned there that helped us resolve the situation.

You learn about leadership

Like I mentioned before, you control so much of what happens at camp. For one week you play so many roles for these children, but most importantly you are there to ensure a safe and memorable time. During each week I had the chance to lead groups of campers, and even sometimes other staff. These camps don't clean or improve themselves so when the opportunity comes knocking at your door, you have to motivate other staff to help create the space you want to work. As a boating director, it was not easy to get five or more other staff members to stand in a foot of mud with water up to their chests, trying to crank screws into a dock. But we did it. As a counselor, it was not easy to get seven campers up each day at seven, especially on the colder mornings. But we did it. Sometimes. The different roles you play as a camp counselor will teach you so many skills you are guaranteed to use both at camp and outside of camp, and will be invaluable as you move forward to deal with these same situations but with different characters.

You learn about safety

"What's the number one rule of camp?" Safety. Oh what was that? Fun? Nope. The first rule to everything is safety. Each child is sent to camp in good condition, you know, usually two working eyes, a handful of fingers and toes, and four extremities. No parent wants their child to come home in a different condition, either emotionally or physically. While each camp has different activities, we had an archery range, bb gun range, fifty-foot high ropes courses, and a whole lake for campers to get hurt on, but our number one job is to prevent injuries before they happen. Each program has a long list of rules and precautions to prevent injuries, but with seventy kids running on sugar and excitement, there were a few mistakes and you will be well trained on how to deal with them when they come screaming at you.

You learn how to get over it

Although there are so many great parts of camp life, there are some things that I would not wish on anyone. Remember when I said you get woken up when children have to use the bathroom? Imagine how I felt the day we had to challenge campers to have four cups of water to stay hydrated. Four times that night I rolled out of my sleeping bag, struggled to find a flashlight, and walked into the darkness with a truddy - on our way to the bathroom. Oh you also like having your phone for those few times you actually catch cell service or a second to check a text? Nope. Those were taken away from us, and given back to us during off blocks and for about an hour after the campers went to bed. You don't want to get up and listen to seven children tell you about how they just want to play on their iPads and Xboxs? Neither do I.

If you go into the summer with the right mindset, you can learn so much while being a camp counselor. Sure, you will have to deal with a few things here and there that you don't like, but the majority of the time you will realize you are reliving your childhood, you are leading a team in soccer, or paddling a kayak, or chanting songs with kids - you won't remember the bathroom trips, you'll remember the smiles and laughs. You will experience so much more than you would at a regular job flipping burgers or folding t-shirts, so next summer when you're looking for a job, consider being a part of someone's childhood, because you might just be the counselor every camper has been waiting for.