Summer Camps: Sleep Away vs. Drop Off
by eteachers.info on Jun 04, 2009 with 0 Comments
The age old question about when to let your children leave the nest. Or is it the question of when do parents want to go on vacation alone ever again? Or is it something else?
Our parents went through it, many of theirs did as well and here we are, going through it with our children. Should we send our children to a sleep away camp or just to a local drop off camp each day? There are many ways to look at this but here are some questions to ask yourselves to help make the right decision for your child or to at least steer them to the decision you ultimately want them to make.
Question 1: Is your child ready to be away for two weeks, four weeks or a summer (depending on the camp)? No matter what they say, it is a question that is based on each individual child in their own family situation. Just because one 10 year-old is ready doesn’t mean every single one out there has to go if they aren’t able to make the journey.
Question 2: What are you looking for your child to gain from their summer experience? If it is just fun and a way to occupy time, sleep away camp may be too much. But if you want them to experience something new, or something that will build their character, that is another story.
Question 3: Will you be able to enjoy yourself if your child is away at camp? Parents often go through a brief empty nest period the first summer they do this, but soon thereafter, you might feel comfortable enough to drop junior off at camp then go right to the airport and enjoy two weeks in Bermuda.
Question 4: In case of emergency, are you reachable in either situation? If you are in Bermuda, are the grandparents available for an emergency pickup until you can fly home? If any of this seems to stressful, do not even consider sleep away camp. The nature of the beast is to create new situations and sometimes those new situations are not the most favorable.
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