You know you're a camp counselor when...

I got my first summer job at the age of 16 when I was hired as a camp counselor at the day camp I had attended as a camper and then CIT (counselor-in-training) almost every summer for the 7 years prior. This summer will be my fifth working with children and my fourth specifically as a camp counselor. I also volunteered as a religious school aide for five years during middle school and high school and, since August 2010, have been teaching the 1st/2nd grade religious school class. I have come to realize over these past several years that working with kids is absolutely my passion, even my "calling", if you will.

Kids are funny, and working with them makes you a little goofy as well. Following the trend of lists titled "you know you're _____ when…", this is my list for being a camp counselor.

You know you're a camp counselor when…

You can think of more than three name games off the top of your head and could effectively lead one with no prior notice.

You regularly refer to your campers/students as "my kids" and people give you strange looks, sometimes even asking in disbelief if you really do have children of your own.

Your best stories involve something funny a kid said or did.

You can turn any activity into a game on the spot.

You take great pride in watching your campers/students accomplish something that you helped them achieve.

You have no shame in screaming silly songs at the top of your lungs.

During your hour off (overnight camp) or when you get home from work (day camp), you lie down and immediately pass out from exhaustion.

You would rather spend the day corralling 20 nine-year-olds than have to deal with one angry parent.

You know how to play more than two variations of dodgeball.

You realize all the other competitors are under the age of 10, but still, winning a game gives you a boost of self-confidence.

You are a pro at coming up with cheers for your group.

You have been asked the exact same question by more than three different children over the course of an hour.

The only time you go to the amusement park is on field trips with camp.

You have seen a child limp around all day, but when it is time for a fun game, they forget about their "injury" and go play.

Any injury that cannot be fixed with an ice pack, Band-Aid, and/or trip to the water fountain is probably a medical emergency.

image from www.gymnasticsnevada.com

You have told a child that you will not talk to them until they are wearing clothes.

You can often be seen walking around holding a giggling child upside down or on your shoulders.

You can make a crying child start laughing within minutes.

You can usually accurately guess the age of a child you have never seen before.

You have no problem wearing a weird hat, crazy hairstyle, or inside out and backwards clothing for a whole day.

You can be dressed and ready to go after swimming in under five minutes.

You can put sunscreen on twenty kids in a matter of minutes.

You have ever been given a presentation by an insurance company representative or watched a DVD provided by an insurance company outlining ridiculous things not to do with your children that someone has actually done before.

You can carry on a non-child appropriate conversation with another adult in such a way that no kids pick up on what you are actually talking about.

You have ever laid on the floor during group time and conducted a "contest" with your co to see which kid could give the best back massages.

You have ever repeatedly announced a group bathroom break only to have a kid come tell you they need to go to the bathroom the second you return.

You have a plethora of staff shirts that you rarely wear but refuse to donate or throw away.

You have never had to sign up for a CPR/first aid class because you get re-certified every year during staff week.

You have learned that regardless of what you say around middle schoolers, they will find a way to turn it into something dirty.