I sent my daughter to wellness camp instead of lacrosse camp. She learned how to do nothing.

It was the kind of question I had answered many times before. For years, summer meant another opportunity for my daughter to grow as an athlete, student, and leader.

"She's taking a break from lacrosse," I said. "I signed her up for a self-care camp," I replied.

Now that she's done, I can honestly say it's one of the best parenting decisions I've made.

For much of my daughter's childhood, I believed every opportunity was a chance to move forward. She played high-level competitive lacrosse, earning a spot on the A team of a nationally competitive club. I became the parent constantly refreshing my inbox to make sure I didn't miss an opportunity to secure spots in competitive training camps. Family vacations were scheduled around tournaments.

Sports were only the beginning. At her academically rigorous school, she excelled in coursework above her grade level. She created award-winning short films with her sister and produced an environmental film festival with assistance from the Jane Goodall Institute Roots and Shoots program and our local arts council, the Maryland Children's Environmental Film Festival.

I was proud of her curiosity, creativity, and drive. However, sometimes between elementary and middle school, summer stopped feeling like an open season of exploration when a tent would go up in the backyard, fireflies circling under the starry skies.

Wellness camp brought summer back to a season of simplicity. No rankings. No competition. For $325 plus a $50 optional self-care kit, she spent one week, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily, learning to care for herself — inside and out — at The Pearl, a local day spa in Maryland near where we live.

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Instead of back-to-back activities, my daughter spent her week enjoying relaxing experiences, including aerial yoga, chocolate meditation, a sound bath, and other activities designed simply to help her become more present.

At pick-up, she seemed more grounded. She shared the excitement of learning poses mid-air during aerial yoga. After a day of facials and make-your-own smoothies, her natural skin glowed radiantly.

In the crystal salt room, she experienced halotherapy. Later, she said not much happened in this room. I felt surprisingly happy to hear she had spent much of her day doing almost nothing.

Then there were the healing waters, a large room featuring multiple types of hydrotherapy. On the final day of camp, my daughter — who had been uninterested in visiting the pool all summer — fully embraced this.