Off to camp

"animzmirot" vze42...@verizon.net

My kids left this morning for a month at overnight camp. Put them on the airplane and I'm about ready to go back to bed.
It's so weird. I look forward to them leaving, but I always feel depressed and sad and sort of lost without them. I know they love camp and live all year for this month, but still....I feel sad.
Anyone else doing the overnight camp thing?
Marjorie

"Sue" sburke148...@comcast.net

My 9-year-old will go for four days to camp. I don't think that I could stand a month. Yeeek.
--
Sue mom to three girls ...

"Slinky Malinky" koedy...@ihug.co.nz

that's one long overnight camp...wowsers. The longest my eldest has been away is 2 nights to a camp and that was only down the road ( the schools take them adventuring not far from our property so it's quite handy...lol)
--
Andrea Mum to...
Rhys (14) Jayden (12) Tessa (10) Tyler (9) Paige (8) Grace (6) Zachary (4) Rose (2) Amelia (2) and Seth Liam (6 mths) ~"How can you have too many babies?
That's like having too many flowers." ~Mother Theresa See us at...
http://www.picturetrail.com/koedijk_family

"AJM" mitch1...@hotmail.com

A month long overnight camp is not long. I had some friends who went to overnight camp all summer when I was in 7th grade and up. They left the first Monday after school ended and came home maybe a week or two before school started. When we were in 10th grade one of my friends went on a teen tour for 6 weeks. They traveled from the east to west coast and up into Canada. She hated it, she also hated overnight camp but her parents made her go. I never really understood this, they had a built-in swimming pool in the back yard that wasn't used all summer because their 4 kids went away all summer to overnight camp. They were very wealthy. Elevator in the house, live in maid, huge house, guest house, etc.
I never went to camp, I sign my kids up for a week long, sports day camps and that's about it. I guess that if you grew up with overnight camping and enjoyed it, you do the same for your kids and vice versa.
Mary Ellen

"Cathy Kearns" cathy_kea...@yahoo.com

I can certainly see the month long camps looming in my future. As we speak my 12 year old is away at a two week camp. She comes home for a week, and then goes away again to a week long dance camp.
She is still thinking about a shorter 3 day camp later this summer. She thinks of summer as a time to get away from family, and the only thing she didn't like about her month in Europe last summer was we were there too.
My younger daughter will turn 8 before she goes to her first away camp for a week at the end of the summer.
She's really looking forward to it, and is already saying if she likes it she wants to go on the 4 week version next year. Yikes!! I love it that they are so independent they feel confident enough to want to go away, but I sure miss them when they are gone.
Cathy ...

"Donna Metler" nospam_dmmet...@bellsouth.net

I did several summer educational programs for music students, which were generally 4-6 weeks long, between Jr. high and high school. I really enjoyed them, and got along well in that sort of atmosphere. Usually these were more like a college schedule, and sometimes were on college campuses, rather than a more traditional summer camp. I did a few week long more "camp" type camps, and didn't like them as much as the educational ones. Never got to fly, though. Even when I went out of state, my mom still drove me and picked me up. (I think she wanted to inspect the premises and make sure the counselors weren't smoking anything funny or something).
My high school also did a week long residential band camp every summer to get ready for marching band, which was definitely a rite of p***age!
My brother never really did the sleep away thing. He did some week-long things, but never anything longer.
--
Donna DeVore Metler Orff/ Band/Choral music, Lester Focused Literacy School Mother to Angel Brian Anthony, 01/01/02 (22 weeks, severe PE/HELLP syndrome) ...

"animzmirot" vze42...@verizon.net

Exactly! My kids started out with a week, and then last summer one of them did 2 weeks in camp, a break of a week, and then a second two weeks, but the break was a huge mistake because she got really homesick on her second session and ended up coming home early. DS went for a month last summer, to the same camp, and he LOVED it. I've never seen him so happy and enthusiastic about anything.
Camping is pretty much an American thing, and it's not unusual at all for kids to go for a full 8 week summer as they get older. My middle schooler would love to go for the whole summer, but it's way too expensive.
Camp is also an ethnic rite of p***age. In the US, kids who attend Jewish camps (and are Jewish, of course) are *much* more likely to remain involved with Judaism in the future. More than day school, more than synagogue attendance, Jewish camping had been shown to be the most important part of encouraging your children's participation in Judaism. So Jewish kids go to camp, probably more than other ethnicities do. I don't know, but most of the Jewish kids I know are long time campers.
I went to camp, but I'm allergic to the whole outdoors so camp wasn't fun for me. But my kids love it and it has made them *much* more independant and I believe that's a good thing.
But I miss them already and it has only been 10 hours. Sigh.
Marjorie

MARY_GOR ...@TVO.ORG (Mary Gordon)

My 11 year old is going for 2 weeks to a summer camp - it will be his 4th time there - and this year, he will be joined for the first time by his 8 year old brother, who is VERY excited.
I personally think summer camp is a really good experience for most kids - a little bit of independence, learning to pull your weight, eat whats on the menu without faces, take care of (and keep track of) your stuff, new friends, new experiences, simpler lifestyle and surroundings...plus tons of fun.
It is particularly great into the teen years when there is leadership training available. Being a camp councellor is a great job for a teen
- semi-supervised and a controlled environment, but kid is out of the city and fully occupied having fun and learning tons.
Mary G.
Mom of three (111, 8 and 4)

"animzmirot" vze42...@verizon.net

You have a child who is 111 years old? WOW, how old are you? :-) Couldn't resist. :-) Marjorie

"Slinky Malinky" koedy...@ihug.co.nz

Holy **** your kidding, people send their children away for the entire summer? I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised people send their kids away to boarding schools which is longer, I'd just be so worried about them, that sort of thing isn't for us, I know is suits other families though, just not us.
Different cultures I guess, we just don't do that here. Kids do 2-3 day camps with school, and you get the odd outward bound courses but they are for older teens but that's it.
--
Andrea Mum to...
Rhys (14) Jayden (12) Tessa (10) Tyler (9) Paige (8) Grace (6) Zachary (4) Rose (2) Amelia (2) and Seth Liam (6 mths) ~"How can you have too many babies?
That's like having too many flowers." ~Mother Theresa See us at...
http://www.picturetrail.com/koedijk_family
--
Andrea Mum to...
Rhys (14) Jayden (12) Tessa (10) Tyler (9) Paige (8) Grace (6) Zachary (4) Rose (2) Amelia (2) and Seth Liam (6 mths) ~"How can you have too many babies?
That's like having too many flowers." ~Mother Theresa See us at...
http://www.picturetrail.com/koedijk_family

"animzmirot" vze42...@verizon.net

You have camps in New Zealand.
http://www.adventure-camp.com/NewZealand.htm http://www.nzfi.org/Biology/enroll.pdf http://www.campcounselors.com/HOME/ http://www.vuwkickboxing.com/articles/vuwcamp.htm http://www.northernharmony.pair.com/vhc.html http://www.soulsports.co.uk/links/SASInternationalCamp.htm http://www.soulsports.co.uk/links/SASInternationalCamp.htm A simple google search found more than 10 pages of camps. Australia also has summer camps. You may not know about them, or know people who send their kids, but they have them. Europe didn't have many camps and most Europeans who want to send their kids to camp send them to American Camps. Hence the whole premise of the Parent Trap movie, if you recall.
Marjorie ...

LisaBell lisabell...@yahoo.com

On Thu, 27 Jun 2002 17:04:45 +1200, "Slinky Malinky" With that many kids they probably won't ever need summer camp, but I can remember longing to go when I was a kid. I had a wonderful family, but summers were boring with only my little sister to play/fight with (usually we went on a family vacation all summer). I think you'll find that in most cases it is the kids who want to go, not the parents who want to send them away.
--LisaBell

Mary_Gor ...@tvo.org (Mary Gordon)

It is common here in Ontario for parents to send their kids to camp if they can afford it - when I was a kid, you had a choice at the bigger camps - one month or two. I went for a month. I totally LOVED it, and made friendships that have lasted all my life.
I got to do all kinds of things I wouldn't have access to otherwise -
daily swimming lessons, horseback riding, crafts, drama, archery, canoing, sailing, canoe trips, camp fires and sing alongs, rock climbing, skit nights - all kinds of stuff I wouldn't ever have been able to do in the burbs with my family. Also loved the break from the parental units as a teen, and never regarded it as being "sent away".
Many of my happiest childhood memories are from summer camp - and yes, it did give my parents a bit of a break. Once my brother was old enough that both of us were actually away for the same month, my parents took their first vacation together alone in 15 years.
Mary G.

"Slinky Malinky" koedy...@ihug.co.nz

This seems to be a US based company sending kids away TO New Zealand and other international countries. Run by them and controlled by them. Camps last 14-40 days, hardly a summer long.
This is a PDF and won't load for me, but I can probably guess by being an nzfi and Biology this is a study camp for university students, ie 18 and over.
This is for US camp counsellors who want to work overseas, find a job kind of thing. Putting New Zealand in the search box comes up with no jobs available not surprisingly.
This was for some obscure private kickboxing team and for 2 days, a weekend camp, again hardly the whole summer.
This is about a handful of teens to flew TO the US to join some band camp.
This is recruiting foreign winter sports people to come to New Zealand for YOUR summer so you can take advantage of OUR winter and ski slopes.
Same as above.
But simply you didn't read any of them.
I don't know why you want to try and prove me wrong Marjory, I do know what I'm talking about I freaking live here, and I'm telling you sending your kids away for the entire summer is virtually unheard of. Older teens, verging on adulthood do the odd sports and adventure camps like outward bound. And youth groups and things do camps over New years that at a max last for 2 weeks, but again they are aimed at the older teen young adult.
School camps locally only go for about 3-5 days and generally only occur at ages 10 and above, but I do concede there may be the odd school that might do a longer camp, or cater to younger children.
Australia also has Well I don't live in Australia so I wouldn't know, but they have a huge land m***, it would take the entire summer just to travel to bloody camp over there.
You may not know about them, or know people who send their Well good for them, but New Zealand is a DIFFERENT country to Australia.
Europe didn't have many camps and most Europeans I do recall that movie and being aghast that parents could send such young children away for such a length of time and entrust them to people they didn't know, I thought it was a joke, made up for the movie.
--
Andrea Mum to...
Rhys (14) Jayden (12) Tessa (10) Tyler (9) Paige (8) Grace (6) Zachary (4) Rose (2) Amelia (2) and Seth Liam (6 mths) ~"How can you have too many babies?
That's like having too many flowers." ~Mother Theresa See us at...
http://www.picturetrail.com/koedijk_family

"Slinky Malinky" koedy...@ihug.co.nz

My kids enjoyed their school camps too, but 3 days was enough, I think they would of become very homesick being away for the entire summer.
I had a wonderful family, I think were very lucky in New Zealand because there is so much to do and it's all within a very short drive. There such a diverse amount of things to do, although most families still enjoy hanging out at home with the Barbie cranked up I think.
think you'll find I'm sure the kids love it, but it's such a long time don't you think? And in the summer too when there are so many great things you can do as a family.
But then our summer coincides with our Christmas/New Year holidays and summer is just always a family time, maybe it's different when summer falls mid year?
--
Andrea Mum to...
Rhys (14) Jayden (12) Tessa (10) Tyler (9) Paige (8) Grace (6) Zachary (4) Rose (2) Amelia (2) and Seth Liam (6 mths) ~"How can you have too many babies?
That's like having too many flowers." ~Mother Theresa See us at...
http://www.picturetrail.com/koedijk_family

"Kavvy" sefam...@dtgnet.com

It isn't for my family either. There is a day camp where my BIL and family live. It is really nice/fun. I'd do something like that but not a long over night camp. I never went as a kid though so I agree with whom ever mentioned that you basically do what you did. My mom was sent to a 'fat' camp (that is what she called it, I think it was some social program for very poor families, she was told she had to go to fatten up) and I think she was to traumatized to consider sending us, Lol. I am generally not overly paranoid (I don't worry Hunter will get kidnapped if he gets an aisle away in the grocery store) but I'm scared of overnight camps. I figure if I was a perv, where would be the first place I'd look for work? Oh - a job where there are many children around, some feeling vulnerable, no parents, under my supervision, and I waltz in and waltz out at the end of the summer, never to be found again. Creepy.
Nikki Mama to Hunter (3) and Luke (1)

"Slinky Malinky" koedy...@ihug.co.nz

That's great, how old were you?
Do you not get to do those things at school? Our highschools cover most of those activities, and being the adventure capital of the world most of those activities like abseiling and bungy jumping and other x-treme activities are available all over the place, you don't need to travel far to participate.
Also loved the break from the yup I can understand teens enjoying some independent time away from the parents, especially older ones (teens not parents..lol). Most teens here do there own thang during the days anyway, only wander home to get fed and get their clothes washed..lol
--
Andrea Mum to...
Rhys (14) Jayden (12) Tessa (10) Tyler (9) Paige (8) Grace (6) Zachary (4) Rose (2) Amelia (2) and Seth Liam (6 mths) ~"How can you have too many babies?
That's like having too many flowers." ~Mother Theresa See us at...
http://www.picturetrail.com/koedijk_family

"Slinky Malinky" koedy...@ihug.co.nz

Well that would be my biggest worry to Nicki, and I think not only being vulnerable to sexual abuse from adults there are also the older children around. What if your child never found a friend, or was intimidated or bullied and was stuck in that situation for the entire summer, that would be just horrible, and one reason we would never send a child away to a boarding school either.
That fat farm thing sounded dreadful...how traumatising.
--
Andrea Mum to...
Rhys (14) Jayden (12) Tessa (10) Tyler (9) Paige (8) Grace (6) Zachary (4) Rose (2) Amelia (2) and Seth Liam (6 mths) ~"How can you have too many babies?
That's like having too many flowers." ~Mother Theresa See us at...
http://www.picturetrail.com/koedijk_family

mario ...@mindspring.com (Marion Baumgarten)

Well,as I tell my children, you'll always be my baby.
--
Marion Baumgarten Mother to die wunderkinder Martha (13) and Peter (10) St. John's College, Annapolis, MD 1982 Earn $5 -https://www.paypal.com/refer/pal=7E3ZVPYP4WRX2

Barbara Bomberger barbarabomber...@hotmail.com

I have very independent children with varied experiences who have never been off to camp for a month. The longest overnight they were away was for a week of scout camping, which they enjoyed. Had they asked to go longer, we might have looked into it, but they werent that common in northern virginia. The longest overnites that I was aware of were two weeks, but again since we werent interested.
We lived in an area that had a wide variety of activities locally offered to kids. my kids swam daily, they had lots of outdoor experiences near by, lots of kids nearby, and of course lived in an area with a milllion and one things to see and do for almost free in terms of museums and stuff. They and their friends kept each other busy all day long.
In addition, I wanted to be able to spend that time with them, and they wanted tos pend their vacation as my son would say "in my own house, with my own stuff". Had they gone away for two weeks or more, I would have missed them and they would have missed me.
I suspect that long terms camp may be appropriate if other activities arent available, if you live in ana rea where there are not a lot of friends and playmates, and if mom and dad are unable to curtain working hours during the summer.
I don't think however, that overnight camp is necessary to the well being or maturity of a child per se Barb

"Nan" cherrybeam...@usa.net

I can't speak for everywhere, but none of the US schools I've ever seen have these activities other than swimming. Crafts would fall into art cl***es I suppose, but not all students take that, and drama is available, but only the more talented students sign up. Sailing, canoe trips, camp fires, skits... typical things that are "camp-like" aren't part of school. Archery might be an exception in some schools.
That said, I attended a week-long overnight camp when I was 12. I enjoyed it, but did become a little homesick, and my parents were only a 20 min.
drive away if there was a problem for me. I knew some kids that were gone the whole summer to camp, and it always appeared (to me) as if the parents just didn't want them around, or thought they had to keep them "busy" all summer. I rather liked having an unstructured summer, for the most part.
~Nan~

clhi ...@syr.edu (Chris Himes)

> It's so weird. I look forward to them leaving, but I always feel depressed
> and sad and sort of lost without them. I know they love camp and live all
> year for this month, but still....I feel sad.
> Anyone else doing the overnight camp thing?
I wish I could convince my 10 year old to go. I know he'd love it, but anything new is hard for him. It would be great if I could find someone to go along with him, but a lot of his buddies are in Boy Scouts, so they do camp through them (which to me misses many of the advantages of real camp, since you go with your own troop) and the other likely candidates are from families where the $200 or so for the week would not be an easy choice.
I lived for camp as a kid, going to 2 or 3 different ones each summer for 1 or 2 weeks each (Girl Scouts, church, Y). I worked for a few years as a camp counselor and would love to go again myself!
My 6 year old is ready, so maybe next year I can send them together and the little one can keep an eye on his brother!
Chris

"Cathy Kearns" cathy_kea...@yahoo.com

Yeah, I wouldn't send them 'til they are begging. My first one went with a friend who wanted to go to CYO camp, as she goes to Catholic school. My daughter was terribly enthralled, despite not being Catholic and begged and begged. They were nine. We thought, why not. (I went to CYO daycamp as a kid...) Well, we put them on the bus, and off they went, my daughter grinning from ear to ear, her friend with big tears in her eyes. After three days I still hadn't got a letter, so I called the friend's house to see if by chance she had written home. Guess who answered the phone, the little girl that was supposed to be at camp with my daughter!! After that shock wore off I asked how my daughter was doing, "Oh, she's fine, she's POPULAR!" As it turns out, the friend was not ready for sleep away camp, but my daughter certainly was. The friend cried for two days until they called and had her mom pick her up. My daughter stayed for the next week (it was a 10 day camp) and came home with wonderful stories of new friends and great experiences. She said she was relieved when her friend went home, as she was then free to hang with all the kids who were loving camp. So a cautionary tale, as I send my second daugher off to camp I'm sending her without a friend, as none of her friends have been to sleep away camp before, and I know it can come back and bite you.
Cathy ...
<>...

rste ...@deeptht.armory.com (Richard Steven Walz)

Leave him alone, for God's sake! You really don't fathom how much your intrusions screw with his OWN INNER plans for his life!!
Steve

"animzmirot" vze42...@verizon.net

WHERE did you get such an idea? First, camps are VERY stringent about who they hire, do extensive background checks, fingerprint their counselors, and almost NEVER hire strangers, choosing instead to hire kids that have gone thru their camp, then become cit (counselor's in training) and then jr.
counselors, and finally senior counselors. They are known to the camp for sometimes 10 or even 15 years. Second, there are adults all over the place.
ALL the senior counselors are adults. They bring their own families and they live on the camp grounds. There are adults running the camps, these adults are well known to the community and most work year after year after year for the camp. The camps have doctors and nurses residing at the camps all summer long. Most of them ARE parents, their kids attend the camps, and they choose to work there because their kids get to go for free. So there are parents there all the time. Parents come for parent visits, and they get to see first hand what the camp is about. If a camp is reputable, and ours certainly is, it is certified by several camping ***ociations meaning that ANY untoward behaviour is reported immediately. Our camp has been around for close to 100 years and there has never been an incident. I've checked the police logs. NOT ONE.
And, I've never heard of a reputable camp that has had any incidents. EVER.
They are reported, you can check with the local police and the camp ***ociations and they must disclose by law any sexual preditors. Not one.
Ever.
I guess those predisposed to dis camps want their kids to be more dependant upon Mom and to never leave home. I don't think that's a particularly healthy way to raise children, especially those that will be going off to college. Personally, it's my choice to raise very independant and capable children who are able to be away from home and not fall apart. I guess that's not for everyone, however. YMMV Marjorie

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