motto.

i like camp. i'll just put that out there. nice people, never bored.

however.

being with children has made me wonder a few things. about? a bunch of stuff.

When I attempt to remember my childhood, I remember myself as a "good" kid. I behaved, wasn't mean, listened to directions, etc etc. Many of the children who I am now in charge of come from similar families, and yet do not do any of these things, most of all the etc etc part. So this begs the question: Are kids today (and I do feel my skin sagging to the ground as I say that) more spoiled and worsely behaved than those in my "day", or do I remember my childhood incorrectly? There's good evidence on both sides, though more on the former. To start with the latter, a few individuals I've talked to here remember their childhood similarly. They too were good kids. They don't remember giving counselors a hard time, being assholes (more on that later) to their bunkmates, not following simple directions, etc etc. I'm willing to bet that most people, when polled, would answer without much of a different opinion.

the children I have had have been awful, awful children. They are vicious to each other, have no respect for the job I'm doing (Just tonight i was told that they like their CITs [counselors in training] better than Meir [my co-counselor] and I. Needless to say i'm a little upset.), don't follow directions hardly ever, and think they own the world. I don't know for sure if this is a result of iPods and cell phones and whatever else they get to have that I didn't have, but at this point it seems the more stuff available, the more stuff is bought by bountifully comfortable American Jewish parents, the more entitled the child professes himself to be. respect goes down the tubes, as does the anticipation of an easy job for me.

It's a neverending topic. Luckily the times here end in 1.5 weeks.

Again, I'm having fun. My patience is not. Nor is my opinion of the next generation. to be continued.