ALTHOUGH it sometimes seems as if spring will never arrive, we know it will and summer will follow.
For parents summer creates a range of special considerations. Simply put, the kids are not in school so what will they be doing? One answer is summer camp.
It's a great adventure for kids. It offers wonderful experiences. It's their chance to make it on their own, meet new friends, have new experiences and succeed at activities not normally available to them.
The question is whether your child is ready for camp, particularly a residential experience. The biggest consideration is whether he has been away from you overnight before and how he handled that. If he is the kid who calls you from every pyjama party to come and get him, he may not be ready. If he revels in being away and experiencing sleeping at other places, he will love camp.
Is she adaptable and comfortable in different social situations? If you know that she will enjoy camp but might have difficulty settling in, have her go with a friend. That makes it so much easier for both of them. They will meet new kids, but will have one friend right from the start.
Does he want to go to camp? Certainly, if he's heard about summer camp and how much fun it is and is excited, it's time to get ready for registration.
It was a beautiful summer day. My daughter Chelsea was 10 and after a week of hectic activity we were finally ready for summer camp. I read out the items from the list; shorts, check; T-shirts, check; rain gear, check.
Everything she needed was stacked on the bed.
Each piece of clothing now bore a label with her name. Everything was clean and folded. All she had to do now was put it in the duffel bag laid out for that purpose.
It suddenly hit me. She was leaving to spend two weeks with strangers. Sure, she'd had some short stints away. Sleep-overs with friends, a weekend Brownie camp. But this, this was different. She was ready, but was I?
One of the challenges of raising kids is knowing when to let go. Whether I was ready to let her go to camp was not the issue. She was ready, and I had to rise to the challenge. I had to be positive, excited and trusting. So I did, and the more I was positive over the next few days, the more I knew this was the right thing to do.
I started remembering my summer camp experiences and by the time we took her to the bus that would carry her off on her new adventure, I was not pretending. I was positive, excited and trusting. But, of course, I still shed a few tears while I watched the bus pull away.
For the child who isn't yet comfortable being away overnight, there are some good day camp options available. Day camp is a great way to introduce your youngster to the camping experience. He will still have the sense of camp activities and get to meet some new kids. You can let him know that next summer, when he is older he can then move on to a residential camp.
Summer camps for children come in many forms. There are day camps, there are camps associated with clubs and organizations such as Girl Guides, Boy Scouts and Navy League, specialized sports camps, church camps, academic interest camps and wilderness camps. There's something for every interested child but the trick is finding the right camp for your child.
In BC the first step is checking the list of accredited camps put out by the BC.
Camping Association. This is a voluntary association of camps that are visited every three years and rated. Go to their website bccamping.org.
You can count on the fact that these camps have met the basic criteria of standards of staffing, health and safety and leadership training.
Then, match your child with the camp. Some children love a rugged and physically challenging experience; some would hate it. The specialized camps like computer or soccer camps are too stressful for some children and perfect for others.
Once you have chosen a camp, be sure to attend the parent information night.
Talk to the staff. Ask about the camp philosophy. Ask them to walk you through a typical day. Good camp people love to talk to parents and you can get a sense of the camp by asking questions. Trust your instincts. Does this sound right for your child? If they don't want to talk to you or hedge, then find another camp.
The most consistent complaint from parents about camp is the religious content in the program. Children sometimes come home from camp talking about being "born again" or about daily bible study. If you don't want this for your child check out the program and ask the staff what kids learn at camp. Listen to the description of the day's activities and choose accordingly.
In recent years, some camps installed video cameras so parents could keep an eye on their kids. It may sound great, but I'd avoid such a camp. For kids, the whole point of going to camp is to have a chance to succeed away from their folks.
If they know their parents are checking them out online every day, they may as well be at home. Choose the right camp. Do your homework. Then let your child go.
Kathy Lynn is a professional speaker and author of Who's In Charge Anyway? and But Nobody Told Me I'd Ever Have to Leave Home. If you want to read more, sign up for her informational newsletter at parentingtoday.ca.
