By Mary Rooke, Daily Caller News Foundation | August 21, 2025
Our society is dealing with an exploding portion of our population that can’t seem to grasp that they’ll never be children again.
At first, it was the onslaught of so-called “Disney adults” descending on the parks like locusts, driving up prices for families and demanding adult experiences (like access to alcohol outside of Epcot) to keep them coming back.
But now they’ve come for the summer camps.
A growing number of adults are going to sleep-away summer camps. They claim it’s a chance to remember simpler times and to make friends by joining a community. But if they were being honest with themselves, they’d admit that they are using their childhood memories to avoid growing up.
“Sleep-away camp isn’t just for kids anymore,” The Wall Street Journal stated.
“Jocelyn Benson made some of her closest friendships at sleep-away camp while hiking, climbing the ropes course and cheering for teammates during color war. She lived in a bunk with other campers, chatted late into the night and made plans to see them once camp ended. The other things she did: mingled with fellow campers who drank wine and cocktails and stayed up till 1:30 a.m. Benson was, after all, 29,” the outlet said.
Nostalgia is one helluva drug. One whiff of an old Ford truck that’s had its leather seats baking in the hot Texas sun would instantly bring back memories of my childhood.
But the difference between this feeling and what adults are doing now is that I know I’ll never experience those moments again, at least not in the same way I did when I was 8. You could sit me in the same truck my father drove, give me a piece of Juicy Fruit gum, and blast Marty Robbins, but nothing can erase the reality that I’m an adult with children and a whole new life.
They are stealing the best parts of childhood and bastardizing them. And they have to pretend it gives off the same feelings. Experiences, like sleep-away camp, are magical when you are young because the world is still easy and there’s still so much wonder. But adults can never unsee reality.
Those escaping to Disney or “adult camps” are essentially disassociating from adulthood by pretending to be kids again. But this escape will never be enough. Sooner or later, the camp won’t give them the “fix” they need, and they’ll be searching for more nostalgia to plunder for themselves.
Someone needs to be honest with the adult campers and tell them they would be much happier if they accepted that they are adults and find thrills in activities like hiking, canoeing, or creating a family.
There is something downright depressing about their need to channel their childhood in order to cope with their adulthood. Yes, being an adult is infinitely more complicated and stressful.
However, if you choose to have your life filled with things that give you true purpose, joy, and love, the demanding nature of adult life doesn’t need to be escaped. It becomes another adventure waiting to be conquered.
Mary Rooke is a commentary and analysis writer at the Daily Caller News Foundation
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