Real-Life Decision Making
You're a camp director at a camp for kids with cancer. It's a
place where they can have fun and forget about being sick for a while. The
camp has a climbing wall, river rafting, hiking, out trips and a dance every
week.
A camp counselor has just informed you that a boy is having a hard time
adjusting to camp life. The counselor says the eight-year-old boy named Kevin
doesn't want to participate in any games or activities. She says he told
her he wants to go home.
You don't know Kevin, so you decide introductions are in order. That
night, at snack time, you pull up a seat next to the boy. "Hi," you say with
a big smile as you offer him the last dessert.
Soon, Kevin is telling you how miserable he is at camp. He's been
at camp for four days and misses his family. He's never been away from
home before. He wants you to take him to a phone where he could call his mom.
You're going to try to convince Kevin to give camp another chance.
Four days is not long enough to form such a negative opinion. What you're
not certain about is whether you should encourage Kevin to call
his mom. Maybe she will help him feel better. On the other hand, she might
just tell him to come home.
What do you do?