IMAGINE a group of your friends sitting around a campfire on a beach somewhere.
If any of them attended summer camp as a child I can guarantee you that they will find themselves thinking about their old camp songs.
Then someone will begin to hum and soon another will start singing. They will be eight, or 12 years old again, roasting marshmallows, sitting under the starlit sky and singing together.
Camp memories stay with you for life. We know we need to give our kids roots and wings. We give them roots with our love, with our guidance, with rules and with boundaries. It makes them feel grounded and secure and ready to take on the world. And it takes wings to move forward. Summer camp is a great way for our kids to take the necessary steps to independence. They go away without you, they make new friends, the live in a different environment and they grow.
Research shows that 90 per cent of people who went to a residential camp also sent their children. Since my husband and I were childhood campers and counselors, you can bet our kids attended. The trick is to choose the right camp for your child.
Then you need to trust the camp staff and your child. What are the considerations when selecting the right camp?
Is your child ready to be away from home? Has he or she spent some nights with friends or relatives and how did they handle that? Remember, this is about whether your child is ready to be away from home, not whether you're ready. It can be hard to let our kids go, to let them head off into the unknown without us along to look after them, but as soon as they're ready, it's the best gift we can give them. They learn they can handle things on their own and we learn they can survive without us for a short while.
First, however, do your due diligence. Look at the training of the camp staff. Is the waterfront staff qualified to lifeguard children? What is the ratio of staff to children? Are there staff members who have been working at the camp for a number of years? The best way to really assess a camp is to talk to the parents of children who have previously attended. If you can talk to parents who share your values and have kids quite like yours, that is the absolute best route to go.
Speaking of values, this is an important part of the discussion about summer camp. Often camps are associated with organizations you already know. Maybe your children are involved in programs at the Y, the Boys and Girls Clubs, or your church or sports team. In these cases you already know a lot about the staff and its values. It is important to know who runs the camp. Ask if it is religious and if so how much religion is included in the programming. Some parents have chosen a great camp only to find out later, when their child returns home, that there was a strong, pervasive religious message that hadn't been mentioned in the literature. If the camp is religious, ensure that activities and messages fit with your belief system.
What do your kids want from a camp experience? There are so many options for kids today. Some children love a rustic camp with tents or basic cabins and outdoor biffys. They are looking for water sports, hiking and physical challenges.
Other kids are looking for something a little more up-scale with hot showers and flush toilets. There are camps for all kids. Choose the one that best fits your child.
To help you assess the safety of the camps, the B.C. Camping Association offers an accreditation process for all camps that have been running for at least one year. Knowing that the camp you've chosen is accredited is one way to know that it has met the basic standards in terms of training, programming and safety. To get more information on camps and accreditation go to www. bccamping.org.
Once you have selected a camp, attend the open house. This is a marvelous opportunity to meet the camp director and the staff. Listen to them and note how they talk about the kids and the activities. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. If the staff is not comfortable with your concerns, choose another camp. Do your homework, then kiss your children goodbye and let them head off for a great adventure that they'll remember for a lifetime.
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 www.parentingtoday.ca.
