As we gain experience in the camp business, we like to think we’re getting better. And in many ways, we are.

But with time comes patterns. Habits. Blind spots.

Early in our careers, we approach our jobs with excitement and curiosity. We ask questions, learn from families, and actively seek feedback. We’re eager to feel connected to the customers we serve.

But as the years go by, we can fall into a few traps that can distort how we view our camp families and how we experience the job itself.

The Bubble Trap

If you’ve been in this business long enough, chances are you’ve felt it — the camp bubble.

At first, it just feels like camaraderie. You talk shop with fellow camp professionals who understand what you’re going through. You swap stories, compare challenges, and vent about that over-the-top parent email.

But over time, something subtle happens. You begin repeating the same talking points to other camp people. You hear them echoed back. And slowly, you end up in an echo chamber — where your perspective is constantly validated and rarely challenged.

That’s the bubble.

It’s an insulated space where everyone around you sees the job the same way, complains about the same things, and starts reinforcing the belief that customers just “don’t get it.”

The longer we stay in this echo chamber, the easier it becomes to stop seeing things through our customers’ eyes.

We stop seeing them as individuals and start speaking in generalities. We reuse the same lines we’ve been saying for years, and when parents don’t align with them, we treat them like they’re the problem.

But the bubble trap doesn’t just affect how we view parents or complaints.

A stale mindset can bleed into everything: our attitude toward summer staff, how we evaluate programs, and how we communicate with families.

This is why we have to keep asking ourselves, “Do I need to refresh how I’m looking at things?”

The Loud Few vs. the Quiet Many

The next trap? Letting a small group of difficult parents distort how we view all parents.

Yes, some parents are challenging. They coddle their kids. They email constantly. They’re never satisfied. But they are not the majority.

Most camp parents are kind, trusting, and reasonable. They do their best to support their kids while giving us the benefit of the doubt.

The problem is that the loud few are often the parents we interact with most intensely. And slowly, they start to shape how we react to everyone.

We start to view reasonable complaints or constructive feedback as attacks. We begin lumping all parents together.

“They’re too much.”

“They’re never happy.”

“They’re all helicoptering their kids.”

Over time, these statements stop sounding like venting and start sounding like the truth.

This mindset is dangerous because it doesn’t just change how we talk about parents; it changes how we listen to them.

We stop asking ourselves, “What is this parent trying to tell me?”

Instead, we wonder, “Why don’t they get how this works?”

The Age Gap

Another thing that gets trickier the longer you’re in this business: we age, but our customers don’t.

In our 30s, we relate easily to a 35-year-old parent. We’re in the same stage of life. We share cultural references. We see the world through a similar lens.

When we’re 45, 55, or 65 — and our customers are still in their 30s or early 40s — that connection doesn’t always come as naturally. We may start to see younger parents as part of the problem rather than as partners. It becomes easier to dismiss them as “entitled” or “not like the parents we used to have.”

Not because they’ve changed. But because we have.

We become more experienced, more confident, and maybe a little more tired. Our patience might wear thin. Our ability to relate may drift. We start expecting families to adapt to us, instead of working to meet them where they are.

What Should We Do?

None of these traps happen intentionally.

Time and experience can make us jaded and slower to adjust. We have to stay mindful that we’re the ones changing — and not always in ways that help us stay connected to our customers.

That’s why it’s crucial to keep asking ourselves, “Am I seeing things through my own lens, or the lens of the people I’m here to serve?”

When we operate from outdated perspectives, this job begins to feel much harder than it really is. We start feeling like we’re always swimming upstream. We tell ourselves families have changed for the worse. But in reality, it’s our outlook that needs to be refreshed.

So, we must stay curious and open-minded — be committed to listening well, reflecting often, and continuing to grow.

Yes, it’s helpful to lean on our peers, but it can’t be the only place we look. The families we serve are the ones who keep us honest.

And if we’re open to it, they’re the ones who will keep us evolving for the better.

Jason Mercado has been part of the TLC Family of Camps since 2008 and is the full-time director of North Shore Day Camp in Glen Cove, New York. He is also the cofounder of FAST Sports, a youth athletic development company focused on age-specific multisport instruction and motor skill development. Jason lives on Long Island with his wife, Amber, and their three sons.