The Gift of Roots and Wings, with guest Lauren Popkin Herschthal

In this episode of The Social Dialogue Podcast, Shane and Jenna sit down with Lauren Popkin Herschthal, third-generation owner and director of Blue Star Camps, to talk about one of the most formative experiences in a young person’s life: sleepaway camp.

From building independence to navigating parenting in a hyper-connected world, this conversation explores why stepping away from screens and into real-life community may be more important than ever. 

Lauren shares insights from decades of experience working with kids and families, including how camp helps develop resilience, confidence, and emotional strength. The conversation also dives into the growing challenges of modern parenting, from “helicopter” tendencies to the difficulty of letting kids struggle and grow.

Shane brings a deeply personal perspective, reflecting on sending her own children to Jewish sleepaway camp and how it shaped their independence, identity, and lifelong friendships, especially since she sent her children to the same camp she attended (as did Jenna's grandmother!). Together, they explore the unique role of Jewish camp in building community, belonging, and values that extend far beyond the summer.

You’ll also hear:

•  Why unplugging from technology improves mental health and connection 
•  How camp prepares kids (and parents) for the transition to college 
•  The difference between discomfort and danger—and why it matters 
•  What kids really gain from being away from home 
•  The balance of being both a parent and a leader in a family business 
•  A behind-the-scenes look at camp traditions, from Color War to care packages 

Whether you’re a parent thinking about camp, a recent grad navigating independence, or just someone nostalgic for summers that shaped you, this episode is a reminder that growth often happens when we step outside our comfort zones.

Keywords: mother daughter podcast, Gen X Gen Z, sleepaway camp, Jewish camp, parenting teens, independence, resilience, college readiness, social media impact, unplugging from technology, personal growth

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Need help with your company's social media? Reach out at bigvoicesocial.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hi Nana. Hi mommy. How you doing? Good, tired. Monday mornings are always rough.

SPEAKER_01 0:07

You're in the final stretch.

SPEAKER_02 0:09

Don't talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Well, listen, two pieces of advice. One, make getting a full-time job your full-time job, but also enjoy these these last weeks of senior year. You can't get it back. So enjoy it. Don't stress about it. Don't be too anxious. The job thing will happen because what do I say? Failure is not an option. So you have to get a job and you will. But enjoy this. You've got you've got the kind of friends you have been looking for your whole life. So enjoy them and have fun. Go out. Have a good time. That's my advice. Well, not tomorrow. Okay, good. Um, okay, so I want to tell you a story. I I don't think I've shared this with you yet. About um, you know, we hear, we've done some a lot of talking about sorority rush and sorority life and all of that. And, you know, I do get some feedback from people who don't get it, who weren't in Greek life, who think it's quote, stupid. And um, I'm gonna tell you why it's not stupid. So I pledged with I think 40 something girls in 1991. And we were close. I mean, we pledged a lot longer than you. We started pledging uh bid day was the first day of classes, so it was August. We got initiated in February, so it was a long time. We went through hell together and we really became close. Um, and even like when I've gone back to, I've been to a couple of reunions and the people that weren't like in my quote friend group, like we're still pledge sisters, like we're still close, like let's go do this together, let's walk down to the house together, whatever. So the last time I saw my friend Tracy was in 2009. I was at I was in Gainesville for um AE5's Centennial, National Centennial, because you know, we were founded on October date. That was October 24th year, it was 1909. So 2009. Um, that was the last time I saw my friend Tracy, and I had her phone number in my phone because she picked me up at the Gainesville airport in her minivan because she raised four children, so of course she had a minivan. So anyway, last oh last week, Ryan was going to Tampa for the basketball games. The first one was really fun, and he was gonna the game was gonna end at like midnight. He was there with friends, and he and I were both in agreement that driving back in the middle of the night to Gainesville, it's like a two and a half, three hour drive, I think. Not a great idea. So I said, give me five minutes, I'll call you back. So I called my friend Tracy, who I have not seen since 2009. I'm like, hey, do you still live in Tampa? And she said, Yeah, I said, I got a favor to ask you. She's like, How many doors are open? Bring them on over. And and then it ended up her kids, two of her kids were actually going to the game. So Ryan's friend gave them a ride back and he had a place to stay for the night. So he was safely off the road. Um, but that's the beauty of being in a sorority. So I hope that as you graduate and go on, that you know even the people that you weren't as close to in your pledge classes or in the house, there's a network out there of people in A5, there's a community, and it's a bond. And so no matter what, you'll always have that. So that's just a little bit as we get close to graduation, a little bit of my weepy um advice. Thanks. Any social media trends that you're seeing that are fun? And are you seeing the one about the the bus, the dance, the dancers getting on the mind on that? No, no, I've been watching it for like two weeks. I'm obsessed with it. They're so cute. I'm not behind. I've been watching it since it came out. I love them. They're so cute.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

Um, I would have to say I've been obsessed with Punch the Monkey. That has been like my like thing.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

Well, that's also not new, so there.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

Well, yeah, but we haven't talked about it on this podcast.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Fair. But I love Punch the Monkey too.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

Anything with Punch the Monkey. He has a girlfriend now. I'm so excited for him. I'm just obsessed.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Okay. All right. And um I sent you a TikTok of this girl that's doing some funny shtick, so check her out. She's very funny. Um, all right, well, good. Here comes our guest. Welcome to the Social Dialogue Podcast. We're a mother-daughter team, both working in the world of social media management.

SPEAKER_02 4:18

Join us as we share our different perspectives on life today, including trends, fashion, friendships, and career, and how social media impacts it all. Together, we bring two perspectives to one conversation.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

I'm Shane, and I'm Jenna, and we're excited to bring you this new episode of the Social Dialogue Podcast. Welcome to the Social Dialogue Podcast. Jenna and I have a very special guest this week that we have both grown up knowing. Lauren Popkin Hirsthal is a third-generation owner and director of Blue Star Camps. Blue Star, this one's gonna be- I'm gonna cry during your bio. That's how emotional I get about camp. Blue Star, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, just outside Asheville, North Carolina, is a Jewish sleepaway camp for kids as young as rising first graders all the way up to rising 10th graders, and the camp offers employment opportunities beyond that. Since 1948, Blue Star has offered campers the best of childhood, authentic summertime fun in a traditional Jewish camp setting. Those of us who have experienced the Blue Star Magic know that it's a gift that keeps on giving throughout our lifetime. My mother was a camper 1957 to 59. I was a camper 1983 to 89. Jenna went from 2013 through 2019 and then served as a sta as a member of the staff in the summer of 21. Did I get all your dates right, Jenna? Yeah, I think so. I went back to the scrapbook because I didn't remember what date you started. So I went back through the scrapbook.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

So do you want to kick us off, Jenna? Yeah. So as part of camp, and I think one of my favorite parts of camp is that you are forced to like put away your phone, put away all your screens, disassociate from technology and just the craziness of the world, especially right now. Um, and we're kind of like wondering like what are the benefits of like not being on a screen, especially at camp?

SPEAKER_00 6:11

I mean, it's incredibly beneficial, obviously. You know, the research and the data is coming out about what, you know, having phones from a young age is sort of, you know, doing to kids and doing to people in general, right? So I mean, I think we see that there's some pushback and kids will be like, what do you mean you're not taking my phone? And sometimes even parents are like, I need to be able to talk to my kid and hear what's happening. But really, all the good stuff happens when we shut it off. So what I think we're seeing in terms of all the data of like anxiety, like rise in anxiety and comparison and all of the mental health effects, um, you know, it seems to me, and from my limited research, that it's really like it's a lack of connection, you know. So one of the things that Camp does so naturally is that um you're just part of a community and you're making friends, and it's that face-to-face interaction. Um, and it's it's being in a real, you know, in a real life situation instead of a virtual one. So it's giving kids the opportunity to experience themselves like in the real world, you know. And obviously being you know digitally fluent is important, but it has its place. Yeah. So um camp is incredibly important in that it's giving kids that opportunity still, and there are not many places where that can happen anymore.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

So are there other camps out there that allow kids to have their technology at camp?

SPEAKER_00 7:34

Mostly what I'm hearing is all all camps have have shut it down. That's good. And mostly what I'm hearing is that that's what parents want.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Yeah. Like parents don't know are in a situation where they can't really take it away, you know, day to day and regular life because they need to know where their kid is. They need to, you know, organize picking them up from school. And they've got things to do. They can't be playing with their kid all the time. You know, all of the parental anxieties around like your kids being outside and being safe to play and you know, the way that we did when we were kids. Um, so they can't really be watching them all the time. So sometimes that that's a way to sort of provide some activity and entertainment. But I think that um having one part of the year at least where it's not part of the day-to-day is um considered very valuable. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

And there's, I mean, there's no time at camp for that, you know, to lay around and look at your phone. I mean, we used to say, you know, a day at camp is like a whole week. There's so many activities, there's so many things you're doing, and then you're so tired at night, you don't need anything to help you fall asleep. And you know, there's there's nothing like a camp sleep. Nothing. I I try and sleep with my windows open as much as I can because it's like sleeping with fresh air, sleeping with camp. And then Jenna, I didn't tell you this. We had a terrible storm last night. We lost power. I was just from here, but it was probably so the generator's on, so I had to close the windows because it was too loud. And then your brother was driving back from the basketball game, so I couldn't sleep because I was tracking.

SPEAKER_02 9:00

Have you heard from him?

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Yeah, I talked to him. Yeah, bad, bad basketball game last night. Um, so but you know, I can remember when Jenna was little, I mean, probably fourth, fifth grade, and we had to find some kind of iPod situation so she could bring music, but that was allowed a camp. So I, you know, I remember her bringing that to, you know, it was a big deal back then. I have something, even though it does nothing but play music. Right. But it was, you know, it was allowed and um and it was good. And then they'd come home and I remember them getting in the car and being like, give me my phone, you know, and they had to catch up with everyone. For that first like drive home back from camp, they were just like normal kids. They had been off their screen. It was like detox. It was great.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Yeah. We we do think of it as detox, you know. Yeah. And I think that the first few days of camp are harder for kids because of that, honestly. Yeah. I think it's like they're like, oh my god, I'm in constant interaction. Like, I there's nothing to retreat to, but you know, they they get the hang of it. Absolutely. Remember that they're just humans, you know? Yeah. They can talk to other people and connect and play and yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

So, you know, we talk a lot, you know, sometimes people are like, My kid is having trouble adjusting to college, you know, any advice. And I'm like, Yes, buy a time machine, go back in time, send them to camp. Because I think, you know, having two kids who grew up going to camp, they were fine sleeping at other people's houses. They were fine not being, you know, they were always able and capable and independent. And what I'm seeing from the kids who grew up going to camp, any camp, there, there's a difference in how they adjust to college, but there's also a difference in how their parents adjust. I find that parents that have sent their kids away for the summer, Jen and I talk a lot about the Facebook groups with you'll get there. I know your kids aren't even in high school yet. You'll get there with the crazy college Facebook groups. But um, you know, I think that the parents in those groups, they've never had their kids go anywhere. They don't, they don't think their kids are capable. And so I think that that's one benefit that parents, parents get if they send their kids to camp, you know?

SPEAKER_00 11:05

I agree when you know, it's gotten we're obviously in a totally new universe of parenting, right? Like, you know, and and the trends or the um, you know, the thing that I think people go to do naturally nowadays is just a helicopter or to lawnmower their way through it. You know, we we love our kids so much, they're so precious. Like, but what we're doing, you know, is that we're not allowing them the opportunity to struggle or be uncomfortable. And that's where the growth happens. So kids don't have the experience of um, you know, sort of getting to feel into and learn that they're resilient because parents can't tolerate their um kids feeling uncomfortable. So um, you know, there's a difference between uncomfortable and unsafe, right? And um our work as parents, um, and my work as a camp professional is to, you know, see where that line is and then provide the appropriate um coaching and scaffolding to help campers and parents get through that feeling. You know, and it's why our office is open from 8 a.m. until 10:30 at night, because parents are actually struggling with that to the point where they they need the constant information. They've got a call, they got the sad letter, they can't wait 24 hours even to hear what's going on. So, yeah, basically we sort of see that constant parent communication that's happening between us and our camp families as the buffer that's allowing the kids to have the experience, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:34

I remember I 100% agree. You can't just sort of like sprout wings and fly, right? It's it's a whole process of like, you know, growing into yourself, learning that you um are capable, learning that you can handle it when things go wrong. And if we never give them the opportunity to do that, and then we plop them, you know, in a college where there's so many things to manage and there's so many decisions to make, and it's all on them to kind of figure it out, that we've not really given them the tools to be successful. So, yes, camp is incredibly valuable in that respect as well. And it's fun too.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

And it's fun exactly. And I remember when Jenna's brother was his first year at camp, so he was a junior, he was going into third grade. He his first we drove him down on his ninth birthday. So he was coming second session. And, you know, this one, when we dropped her off at camp for her first time, she'd never she'd been at sleepover parties, but that was about it. Literally, like we unpacked the trunk. She was or the the trunk of the car, she was living in the triangle. That's where her cabin was. And she literally looked at us and was like, Why are you still here? Go. I mean, we had been there like seven minutes. She's like, get out. The other one, he, I won't say he had a hard time. He didn't, but he didn't know.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

I'm more independent.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Well, you were when you were little, you're about even now. No, no, no. He sent us a homesick letter. And I was like, unacceptable. No, we don't get homesick in our family. That's that's not gonna fly. We go to camp and that's what we do. So I called camp and said, I got this letter. I'm thinking maybe I got this like four days after it happened. Can you just make sure he's fine? So I got a phone call back. He's fine. That wasn't in the moment, and never, never again did I get a sad letter. But my other friend was like, you have to go down there and get him. He's miserable. You have and I'm like Is that Mara? Yeah. I'm like, he was miserable four days ago for 30 seconds. He's he probably lost a baseball game or something. He's fine.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

Yeah, I mean, also your your kids know that, right? So it's like sometimes the the worse the homesick letter reads, like it's like the more, you know, sometimes the things that are in those letters are actually once you're over the homesickness, you know, and the parent has had a Xanax or a glass of wine, you know, it's like they don't feed us, you know. Or, you know, there's wild animals roaming on the porch. Like it's just the word anything they can think of to be rescued. Because in that moment it does feel really scary and overwhelming. And obviously, we're, you know, we're training our staff to do the thing and to help them make that adjustment. And um, you know, and then how great do they feel when they get through it?

SPEAKER_01 15:04

Absolutely. And they come home so much more grown up, so much more independent. Both of them every year, they would come home from camp able to do things. And I I mean, I did too. I came home from camp one summer. Harry Nature taught me how to cook. I came home and made food for my parents. Like, you know, that's what you learn at camp is you learn little steps in becoming an adult, an independent adult.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

Yeah, and it's a very, it's still a very safe and supported, you know, and supportive network, right? Like you're in a community of people that are looking out for you. Everyone at camp, their goal is for you to be happy and successful and having fun. And and our staff and us are tuned into that, right? So it's still uh, you know, there may be tough moments, but they're still being supported and coached through it. So for sure.

SPEAKER_02 15:49

I'm kind of transitioning topics. Um both of us know, but our audience may not know that Camp Blue Star is actually a family brand. It was started by your grandfather, and now you and your husband co co-own co-own the camp brand. Talk about being a female owner and being the first female owner for your family brand. We'd love to hear a little bit more.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Well, I want to back up a second because I I do think of my grandmother and my mother as co-owners directors, too. So, you know, and actually when Camp was founded, it was with, you know, with all the brothers and the brothers' wives. So there's always been a strong female force in there, you know, helping navigate the direction that Camp goes. For me, you know, obviously it's an incredible privilege to be able to get to do this work as a third generation. Um, I mean, our connection to the land, our connection to all of our alumni, you know, the fact that we get to nurture something that's like so beautiful and really feel like we're helping and making a difference in the world. I mean, it's it's an incredible privilege. And to be able to do that as a woman and a mother is, you know, that's like lights out. That's the best thing ever. You know, obviously, like I'm getting to bring myself and my whole heart to my work and being a woman and a, you know, it's part of how I decipher and understand the world and how it helps to guide my decisions. And yeah, so having that feminine energy um in leadership and a camp setting is very powerful.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

I have two quotes that we live by that we got from your dad. One is roots and wings and how important they are. And the other is I know why the duck doesn't sink because it lets everything roll off its back. And I live by that, and I heard it from your dad.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

That's amazing. I um all day, every day, my dad like pops into my head and oftentimes like shoots out of my mouth with something I say.

SPEAKER_01 17:41

So many good memories. And um, you know, I knew your grandfather very well as well because I was a camper when he was still running the camp. So I remember, I remember him very well.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

Yeah, no. Um we had great, um, I mean, I had great, you know, role models and uh yeah, and Herman was, you know, incredible and um my dad just so funny, you know, and so smart.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:02

And his his gift for um public speaking just yeah, you know, like he he always just knew exactly like how to get up there and own the room, and it's something that I um, you know, continue to aspire to. It comes less naturally to me. I'm a little on the shyer side.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

For sure. So one of the things that I feel, and I mean I could answer this in my own words, but I'd love to hear your words is the importance of Jewish camping. There are lots of camps out there, and there are sports camps and there are Christian camps and there are nothing camps, just camp. We chose to send our kids to a Jewish camp, and I would just love to hear why you feel it's important that Jewish kids go to Jewish camp.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

Right. Yeah. I mean, I think um, you know, camps started because there really wasn't in the South any camp that would accept Jewish kids. And it also started because a lot of those, a lot of those kids, those Jewish communities were just spread out in teeny little towns. So there wasn't like a big sense of community, right? So it really started as a place where Jewish kids could come together and explore their shared religion, culture, identity, you know, build friendships, build community. You know, I think that the things that are challenging for Jewish communities, you know, they they come in waves, and obviously we're at a moment right now that's very challenging. But I think what makes it so important is it's another space and place that allows you to be your whole self, right? And to connect, yeah, connect with um other people who are, you know, the same. And that feels really good. Like, you know, knowing that you are part of a family and part of a community that um has similar values. Yeah. So I think that sense of safety, that sense of identity, that sense of belonging, all very important. And then also, you know, Judaism teaches us that our responsibility is to help repair the world. And the experiences that kids have at camp, you know, can really do that. It teaches them to be more empathetic, more understanding, able to navigate conflict. And at camp, we have these ideals that we're always trying to infuse into the experience. And the vast majority majority of it is being, you know, a good citizen, being a good person, treating other people with kindness, treating the earth with kindness and respect. So um, so yeah, Jewish camp is, you know, it's an incredible, um, it's an incredible experience and an incredible foundation that you're giving your kids when you send them to Jewish Camp.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

And your story of why it was founded with small towns of kids not connected, that's exactly why my mom went. She grew up in a tiny little town in North Carolina. There weren't there was nobody else. And this is how she made Jewish friends. And then, you know, they reconnected over the year. She ended up at Sioux Lane. So she, you know, found people there. And then later in life, and you know, same way I decided at 10 years old I was going to the University of Florida because I was going to college with my camp friends. And that's exactly what I did. And I did stay friends with a lot of those camp friends through through college. And I think, you know, as a parent, you know, we we could have chosen to take our kids on trips to Europe and everything over the summers. We decided this is we live in Kentucky. This is how we're gonna raise Jewish children. I'm moving out. We're sending them to you. And I feel like we, as parents, really had partners in raising Jewish children. I'm gonna cry.

SPEAKER_02 21:18

Why are you crying? Because I can't make me cry.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

So sweet. I'm I'm the parent that like on the road, um, when you're driving down Canoga Road on the last day of camp to pick up, I'm the parent hysterically crying. I'm like, can I just leave them with them? Yeah. They don't want to come home. They just want to stay at camp. And so sweet. I hate it to take a break.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

I wish more people just naturally landed where you land with camp. Where I didn't have to convince them that this is actually a really great thing for their kids.

SPEAKER_01 21:47

Yeah, yeah. Well, that actually, Jenna, that's your next question.

SPEAKER_02 21:50

Yeah. Um how do you separate? You know, you've you've talked about how you have two campers. How do you separate being a mom of those campers, but then also So being the camp owner, especially when your kids were younger as like juniors.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

You know, it's sort of just a it's a process. It's like anything else. You know what I mean? There are moments where um I just have to put on my mom hat, you know. And there are moments when I'm like, nope, nope, nope, go back to camp. You're doing this, so and so's handling it, you know. And then we have we have an incredible team. So like Rose had a little bit of homesickness this summer. And, you know, guess who was there to help? Dana Eisenman, you know, and I it got to the point where I was like, Do I need to stay away from camp-wide events? Because every time she sees me, she's really struggling. You know, but Dana was there to kind of be like, come on, Rose, we got this, you know, and kind of get her back in the flow of camp. And um, I know it seems sort of silly that a kid whose parents are at camp may feel homesick, but I remember feeling that way too because Yeah, because you see your parent right there and they're not, you know, readily available. So yeah, so it's like anything, any working mom. You know, there there are times where you have to prioritize one role and there are times when you prioritize the other. And mostly it's like it's I want the same thing for my kids, right? So I don't want them to miss out on the opportunity to um, you know, to do the hard thing and figure out that they can do it.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

A question there is that question. Yeah, for sure. It's it's a lot of juggling. I mean, you're juggling kind of two personalities when you're at camp and your kids are there. You know, I mean, I I would get it, you know, when we would go for those weeks and Howie would be the camp doctor. I I remember as she got older, I'd see her coming and I would jump into the bushes so she wouldn't see me. And I remember on one of her last, it must have been maybe like senior three or something, and they had a social with the boys, and we got she came into our cabin and left a paper plate. I think I still have it that says something like, do not walk past the library pavilion tonight. Like we were not allowed anywhere near. And I got it. I mean, that's her space, and you know, she didn't really want her parents there. And I got it. And as they got older, we were like, we need to stop coming because it's we're infringing on their space, and this is kids' space.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

This is not our space. That's so funny. Yeah. We we think about it from like the adult perspective, but it it takes some navigating on behalf of the camper as well.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

Yeah, she was very clear with her wishes. Do not come near the social. It's a good lesson for life. Yeah. And she's still very clear. She doesn't batted eye to tell me to take a picture down. So I don't always agree, but I respect her wishes. Okay, so I have a quick lightning round. I didn't even tell you I was doing this. Are you ready? Are you good at lightning rounds? Me or Jenna. You, you, me.

SPEAKER_00 24:35

I don't know. We'll find out. I'm not sure. Tell me when we're done if I'm good at it.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

Okay, my first question in the lightning round is do the points really matter in Color War, Maccabea, or is it all fixed?

SPEAKER_00 24:48

My God, the points totally matter. I can't even believe you're asking that.

SPEAKER_01 24:52

I always wondered if they actually mattered the chalkboard. What? Yes, every point matters. Every single point. Okay. What is your favorite? If you go back in history, what's your favorite theme for Maccabear or Color War?

SPEAKER_00 25:04

I really like the old school ones. Um, I mean, I think it's like, you know, like blue buccaneers versus white warriors, which I feel like it might not be totally peaceful. I'll see you for that one. Yeah. But those ones are the ones that were like, that was like you came back every year. That was Maccabeya. So um that's what came to mind. Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 25:22

What is your favorite meal at camp? And I'm guessing it has chicken in it.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Yeah. I mean, I do have like Shabbat dinner with chicken and um, you know, mashed potatoes and some green beans in the Kampala. Nice.

SPEAKER_02 25:33

Kampala's insane.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

Yeah, Kampala is really good. And they don't do bug juice anymore, right? We used to get great bug juice on Shabbat. It's still new big too.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

Sprinkle it in sometimes. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

That's good.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

I mean, the trend more is to drink water, right? Like we're just a little more self-conscious now.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

Of course. Yeah. Whereas I, you know, in the 80s, I was eating that powder out of the thing, you know, by itself on the campus to some of the things. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

You know what I used in the 80s? Um, I used to uh someone older than me taught me that if you pour hot chocolate and rice krispies, that's like a delicious breakfast.

SPEAKER_01 26:05

Sure it is. It was. It was amazing. Absolutely. What is the craziest care package a parent tried to get through?

SPEAKER_00 26:12

Honestly, it's so insane. It's not I mean, it's like I it's not even what they're trying to get through. It's really like the methods for which they're willing to go through to try to get it through. Like ripping the teddy bears, stuffing them with candy, sewing them back up, like making secret uh like areas underneath the tampon box, like a trap.

SPEAKER_01 26:34

I did it once where I I opened the tampon wrapper and I shoved Skittles in there, but it rattled. So I got busted. And when I got to camp, the the nurses were like, hey, thanks for the candy.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Yeah. Um, I mean, I don't think anyone, I'm sure there's something super outrageous. I mean, sometimes parents send like hot pats and things like that, even though we're like, it's really dangerous. Like, we're where are they putting this hot pot? On the floor? Like that makes no sense, you know? Um, but that's more like it doesn't come in a care package. It comes, you know, smuggled in on opening day, and then we we have to hunt it out and it's the whole process. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

Yeah, yeah. Okay. If you so Blue Star was one of the only camps who was open in the summer of 2020. I remember the kids were home for school and I was on the treadmill and the news came out. And Jenno had Jenna was not able to go to camp that summer. That would have been her summer with HSI, so she didn't get to go. But we were waiting to see if there was going to be camp. And I was not sleeping over this because he was going to be in senior two. And he came, they both came running in. Camp's open. We're going to camp. And so my question is if you had to name one me one word that described the COVID summer, how would you describe it?

SPEAKER_00 27:42

So it was it was incredibly difficult to make the choice, incredibly challenging and rigorous to get everything prepared and to be writing those protocols at midnight, like, you know, with our team every single night. And then once we opened, it was like, oh, we're doing it. We can do it. It's good. And then once we got to the week and there was no, you know, everybody was negative when we we tested, then it was just like, it was beautiful. It was like really, you know, it was just a really sweet, beautiful, simple summer, you know. I mean, it was it was not like camp operating as totally normal, you know, like we had trouble getting staff in, some of our activity specialists, you know. So we were, you know, like dog walking was an option. You would like take the camp dogs walking, but like the kids, because of the situation, we're just so thrilled to be there. So it was like, we love dog walking.

unknown 28:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

Like everyone was just really grateful to be there and to be able to be in community. And I think um it was very sweet ultimately. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:42

Yeah. We Jenna and I drove Ryan down, sat in the line to get him tested.

SPEAKER_00 28:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:46

And I remember, do you remember this? It was so hot out while we were waiting in the line, and we had this Yeti cooler with like snacks in it. And we were worried he was gonna be so hot that he was gonna test that he had a fever. So we were like, put your head in the cooler. Yeah. So yeah, it was um, it was the most grateful I'd ever been that like we had been through this crazy thing through school and he still got to go to camp and didn't get to get to the camp. Yep, and I made the sacrifice. She made the sacrifice, but you did get to go stay with an old camp friend. I did for a few days. We stopped and dropped her off on Beach Mountain with a friend who we knew had also been isolating. So the the girls got to hang out, and so at least she got to get out of the house a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 29:27

Yeah, that is a super long wait um for your brother to get into camp.

SPEAKER_01 29:32

Tell me about it. It was crazy, it was crazy, but so I mean, I remember just being so grateful that you had decided to do it and that he wasn't gonna miss senior two. For me, senior two was my best year. I mean, every kid is different, but I was senior two also. Do you know who was my counselor in senior two? Savon. That's so great. Yeah, Savon was my year, Jenna. And she we're still in touch, me and Savon and Lisa. Yeah. Jenna had Lisa's daughter as a camper. I mean, it's all just, you know, full circle. It's awesome. It's awesome. Well, Lauren, this has been, I mean, we have been waiting to have this conversation with you, and it's just it's so nice to see you. And you know, you really did help me raise this child, and I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 30:16

She's an amazing child. Well, grown up.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

She's a grown-up now. She's a grown up now.

SPEAKER_00 30:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

Thank you guys. This was so fun. It was great to see you. You too. Thank you so much. Thanks for joining us on the Social Dialogue Podcast. If you like today's conversation, be sure to leave us a five star rating and a review and share it with a friend.

SPEAKER_02 30:38

Keep the dialogue going with us on social. Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. I'm Shane. And I'm Jenna. Thanks for listening.