DE-STRESSING
AT KIDDIES’ CAMP

Topics: Busyness; Career; Childlikeness; Escape; Faith; Fun; Jobs; Joy; Leisure; Play; Pressure; Responsibility; Sabbath; Stress; Work

References: Matthew 18:1–4; 19:14; Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:16

When stress at work gets to be too much, many executives are finding new ways to escape. Instead of retreating to the beach, to the mountains, or to a golf outing, many adults are, well, acting like kids.

At California’s Camp GetAway, an adult can participate in sing-alongs, water balloon fights, kickball, s’mores around the campfire, and sneaking out of the cabin to toilet paper the cars and cabins of other campers.

Some adults opt for the increasingly popular Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy Camps, where even unskilled participants can jam with real rock musicians.

Helen Oseen founded The Ultimate Pajama Party, a camp where older women can don their pajamas, pillow fight, and sit on the bed and share confidences late into the night. Oseen began the camp when she realized she worked a lot and didn’t save time for play.

Christopher Noxon calls the trend “rejuveniling” in his book Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-Up. A father of three in Los Angeles, Noxon said, “In a world where pressure and problems pile on nonstop, more grown-ups are seeking a vacation from their adult side.”

—Kitty Bean Yancey, “Get Away from It All,” USA Today (July 28, 2006)