Lesson 4: Sleepover Camp - A Resounding YES!

There are obviously two points of view on whether it is a good thing to send your child to sleepover camp. I spent every EIGHT weeks away every summer from age 10 - 16. Mom and Dad would visit one day at the end of week four, but I loved every minute of my summers, and cried when it was time to go home at the end. I really missed my camp friends who became my family every summer. It was so much fun to grow up together and share everything that happened in the 10 months we were away from each other. Of course, this is NOT exactly what parents want to hear, but there are so many advantages for going to camp:

1. It gives children AND parents a vacation from one another. As much as we love each other, it never hurts to have some safe distance to rest and reflect objectively and recharge those batteries.

2. Children learn to be independent. They make their own beds, manage their own activities within the schedule they are provided, and resolve their problems without parental advice. This is invaluable.

3. Children learn group dynamics early in life - the art of compromise, problem solving, effective communication, change management, leadership, scapegoating, whistle blowing, etc. It is their first MBA course, but they have the joy of living it instead of reading about it; also, invaluable.

4. Lifelong friendships evolve from camp experiences. In the course of two months, many experiences and emotions are shared between your new camp family. Most of this takes place during a child's adolescence - not an easy time, but the comfort of close friends to provide support is also invaluable. Today, I talk to many of my camp friends from 40 years ago on Facebook, always with a warm feeling for all the wonderful memories we have shared.

5. Camps provide a safe and monitored environment to experience the first four advantages.

So what are the disadvantages of summer camp?

1. The cost can be prohibitive although many camps provide scholarships or work programs where parents can work at the camp in exchange for a child to attend the camp (e.g., camp nurse, camp counselor, office staff).

2. Children and parents can genuinely miss each other. I must say that I was not an advocate of 8 week camp for my daughters. We are a close family, and I wanted to have some of that free summer time to go to the beach together and do other fun activities before school started. As a result, four weeks felt right, but some camps offer 2 week programs as well.

3. Parents, who like to hover, will find it difficult not to verbally communicate with their children on a daily basis. I'm sure that eventually, children will be allowed to have cell phones at camp, but for now...the decreased communication is essential to get the benefits out of camp.

4. Children may be exposed to other children who are deemed less than desirable friends for your children. You have to rely on the fact that your child has the common sense to avoid negative influences.

So what would you do and why?