For most parents, packing their kids off to a summer camp is more of an emotional balancing act: on one hand there is fresh air and friendships, competition and camaraderie, on the other, worries about insect bites, injuries and allergies. Deemed as an iconic rite of passage, summer camps packs in multitudes of fun. But along with it tags in ceaseless worries. After all, leaving your kids in the hands of unknown strangers, no matter how safe they claim to be, can be quite appalling. Then there is homesickness to be dealt with.
While some kids, especially those with a few camp tours under their belts, eagerly await for camp each year, there are others who have to battle homesickness. That said, summer camp is a fun way for your kids to lap up new skills, make new friends, and grow up to be independent. When homesickness and parental dependence threatens to ruin your child’s vacation, these tips might make the road ahead easier. Camp Navigator shows how to survive a summer camp.
Let them choose
If your child is big enough to spend his/her summer away from home, he/she is big enough to decide which camp to go as well. By allowing your children to choose a camp of their liking won’t just banish all stress of going to the camp, but also leave them with a greater sense of ownership. When you force a child to attend a camp of your choice, he/she’s more likely to feel trapped and homesick.
Involve your child
Instead of doing everything alone, try to involve your little one in preparing from the camp. That won’t just save you heap loads of stress, but also make it an enjoyable experience for the youngsters. By doing everything on your own, right from choosing the camp to filling the trunk, will reduce your kids to little bystanders. Even if it holds the packing process up a bit, make shopping for and packing camp supplies a group effort. After all, an extra pair of hands to label a mountain of objects is never a bad thing!
Discuss Homesickness
While it could be highly tempting to avoid any mention of homesickness, hoping that your child simply won’t think about it in the rush of preparation and settling in at camp, it’s just not realistic. Make sure you sit and have an open, honest discussion with your child about how normal and natural homesickness is and explain how those feelings pass as she gets more acclimatized to her new environment. Doing so will help them cope better with those pangs of loneliness at the camp.
Facilitate Communication
Agreed, summer camps can be emotionally testing for both the parents and the kids. But making frequent phone calls every hour and sending multiple letters every day will only make your child miss home more. Conversely, cutting off all communication in a bid to keep them from thinking about home will make them feel abandoned. So, communicate wisely and with care.
Keep Your Own Anxiety Quiet
Remember, children are very perceptive. Sensing anxiety in you will make them jittery too. Telling your children that you’ll miss them is one thing. But letting them know that you will be miserable without them around will make them upset. Also, picking up on anxiety from you sends the message that there’s something to be feared from camp. So gulp your fears and anxiety and look strong and cheerful while leaving your child in a summer camp.
