It’s the beginning of the year and a time that typically inspires introspection. Is it a good time for a career change? Should we have another child? Is it time to up-size or downsize the homestead? And yes, is summer camp worth the cost? While we cannot help you decide if you should relocate or start a new career, we can outline our case for yes, Summer Camp Is Worth Every Penny!
Whether you’re an old pro at sending your child to summer camp, or brand new to the idea, here are but a few reasons why it is well worth it:
Friends
Your child WILL make friends at summer camp! At the end of each summer, my daughter would become very anxious about the upcoming school year, always wanting to know who would be in her class, would she see old friends, who would she sit with at lunch, will the teacher like her. Summer camp taught her how to make friends, and eased her social anxieties long after camp ended.
Social Media/Cell Phones
I don’t particularly care for the term social media as there doesn’t seem to be much socializing going on. Every parent recognizes the safety-net cell phones provide for our children these days. It’s tough to strike a balance between being able to get in touch with your child at the drop of a hat, and all the other ‘social media-ing’ that goes on with kids and their phones. Camp is the perfect place and time for disconnecting. When not dependent on their phones, children engage with each other in real settings, enjoying real life experiences.
Real Life Experiences
Experiences! Think about it. Not reading about doing something, or watching a video about doing something, or seeing pictures of others doing something, but actually doing something and being engaged in the moment. Whether it’s learning to barrel jump in the equine arena, sailing atop the lake on a wave runner, star gazing in a sleeping bag on the ground, or finally mastering that backflip on the trampoline, camp is the perfect place to make friends and to learn new skills, and thus, developing independence.
Independence
As parents, we strive to protect our children all the time, from everything. To our own detriment, and at our own expense, we would gladly take every disappointment and hardship away from them if we could. Even at 22 and 30 years of age, I still worry about my children’s safety and happiness. It is, however, inevitable. Our children will become adults. They will become independent of us. How are they to know how to act, or which decisions are good ones, when they are away from us if we never allow them to be away from us? Camp is the perfect place for children to be safely away from home.
New places, new people, new activities, new skills, living it up in the great outdoors, getting pushed from comfort zones, making decisions, and reaping rewards from all of this, camp is a safe and nurturing environment like no other. An invaluable experience overall.
