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8 | MAY 21 • 2020 

1942 - 2020

Covering and Connecting 
Jewish Detroit Every Week
jn

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How to reach us see page 10

Views

child. Use words such as: “I 
hear you.
” “This hurts so much.
” 
“This is so incredibly disap-
pointing.
” “This is so hard to 
believe.
” 
Encourage your kids to share 
their feelings. Give them space, 
if and when needed. Some kids 
will have a lot to say and show 
many emotions. Others may 
take time and will need help 
verbalizing their feelings. Many 
teens may lean more into their 
friends. This is OK. Encourage 
their connections and let them 
know you are there. While feel-
ings may be very intense, avoid 
words such as “devastating” and 
“catastrophic.
” Reflect where 
they are with accurate labels 
while modeling a resolve that 
we will recover and heal.
Providing hope for the future 
can be helpful while recog-
nizing kids may not be ready 
to hear about how they will 
have many more summers or 
opportunities. Adults have this 
vantage while kids’
 perspective 
is based more in the present. 
Encourage your kids to connect 
with friends and family, share 
photos, stories and memories. 
Allow for them to talk about 
what they will miss and what 
is lost.

One of the concerns for 
many campers is the plan for 
next summer. Will they get 
to make up the program that 
was lost? The honest answer is 
camps have so much to figure 
out in the weeks and months 
ahead. Acknowledge the 
uncertainty and discuss how 
they have successfully dealt 
with the unknown in the past. 
Encourage kids to share ideas 
with their camp. Having their 
voice heard can help. Think of 
ways to financially support our 
community camps as they will 
need our help to survive. 

FINDING THE POSITIVE
Families are now facing very 
practical challenges with job 
commitments and day care. 
Children and teens desperately 
want to see their friends again. 
Families are stressed. The old 
adage of one day at a time is 
a good approach for now. We 
need to find positives in each 
day while we navigate these 
uncharted waters.
Parents are asking how to 
keep our kids occupied with 
meaningful activities. Here is a 
golden opportunity that lies in 
the days and weeks ahead:
When the raw emotion 

begins to settle and the time 
feels right, talk with your kids 
about what they gain from 
going to camp. Ask your child 
why the camp experience is 
so important. Parents should 
reflect on this question, too. 
Is it about connecting with 
friends? Building and growing 
new friendships? Being authen-
tic and your best version of 
yourself? Trying new things? 
Unplugging? 
No, we can’
t re-create camp 
in the same exact way. We can’
t 
replace the loss. However, if we 
really consider these thoughts as 
opportunities, we can approach 
our coming weeks similar to 
camp. By being creative and 
resourceful, we can tap into 
the spirit, the essence and even 
some of the magic of camp. 
Talk with your child, teens 
and/or young adult about how 
they can be more authentic, 
vulnerable and accepting 
in their relationships. Light 
Shabbat candles. Sing together. 
Take your child on a hike. Build 
a fire. Find new and unique 
arts and crafts projects. Create 
a family Havdalah, reflecting 
on the past week together while 
sharing feelings and looking 
ahead. Look out at the stars 

each night. These are just some 
examples and together families 
can discover many more. If we 
integrate these types of expe-
riences into our families in the 
coming weeks, the impact will 
be great for your family and the 
memories can be very special.
Losing a summer of camp is 
very painful for our kids and 
the community of camps. At 
the end of the day, it’
s said that 
camp is about people and the 
relationships. This is not just a 
camp lesson but also a lesson 
we learn in life. 
Relationships shape the core 
of who we all are, and they will 
help us heal from this moment 
in time. No relationship is more 
important than the one with 
your child. This is exactly what 
will help you, your family and 
community get through this 
very difficult time. 

Dr. Daniel Klein is a licensed clinical 
psychologist and founder of Child and 
Family Solutions Center. A self-de-
scribed “camp lifer” whose career 
was inspired by camp, he is a former 
camper, counselor and parent of two 
campers who live for their summers. 
He presently serves as an officer on 
the board of directors of the Bloomfield 
Hills based nonprofit Tamarack Camps. 

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