When I was growing up, I would often hear the phrase, “practice makes perfect.” Whether it came from a teacher referring to my math facts, my tennis coach correcting my backhand or my mother reminding me about my manners at the dinner table, the emphasis was always on perfection - try harder, work harder, keep practicing and you will be better … maybe even be perfect.
While this encouragement was meant for my benefit, it often left me feeling that perfection was to be achieved in everything I did and that I should make perfection my ultimate goal. As a result of this “practicing for perfection,” I developed a habit of unforgiving self-evaluation, constantly wondering if I measured up in school, sports, friendships and life.
But isn't practice important?
Absolutely! Practice is essential for shaping the young men and women that our children will become. The exercise of practice develops character, and character development makes us better athletes, better students, better friends and better people that contribute positively to the world around us.
But the value of practice isn’t measured by whether or not we reach perfection. Practice is built upon the premise of doing something incorrectly and learning how to do it the right way … then doing it over and over again. When we teach our children that it’s OK to fail and it’s OK not to be perfect at everything, they feel loved and accepted in both their mistakes and their accomplishments. Children who practice to become the best version of themselves, rather than meeting someone else’s standard of perfection, won’t determine their self-worth by how they measure up to others.
The prerequisite for this practice is a separation from mom and dad, from technology and from the pressures of the world … in short, the culture we embody at summer camp! The very thing we practice every day at Camp Highlander is character development and the building of self-worth. Through our activities, programs and cabin life, we set goals as individuals and celebrate accomplishments as a team. We support one another through failure and push one another toward success. At Camp Highlander, we build friendships that are authentic and meaningful - and we do the work to maintain them.
While practice does not make us perfect, there is a PERFECT place for practice - Camp Highlander!
About Melissa Fitzgerald
