I ran a life skills camp for middle school kids. They learned to do laundry, cook dinner, and navigate Chicago without phones. Kristin Howard, based in Chicago, started a life skills camp for pre-teens to learn skills like doing their own laundry. Kristin Howard Kristin Howard started a life skills camp for middle school-aged kids. They learned how to do laundry, cook dinner, and budget their money. She said the kids seemed to become more confident and independent. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kristin Howard, a testing center coordinator in Chicago. In 2024, she founded "Going Up," a camp for kids to learn life skills. This story has been edited for length and clarity. I'd been working in the corporate world for 20 years, mostly in data analytics. As I got older, I started noticing that I wasn't being as present with my family as I wanted to be. I wondered what I'd do if I switched careers — what could I offer that didn't exist yet?…