Parents attach training wheels to a two wheeler in order to
provide a safe and easier transition from a tricycle to a bicycle.
For the same reasons, parents can now similarly prepare their
children for a one-, two-, four- or seven-week session of summer
camp. The "training wheels" in this case come in
the form of families attending an American Camp Association (ACA)
accredited family camp.
The past five years have witnessed families becoming more cautious
when it comes to being away from each other. We are in the age
of helicopter parents—and no one can blame them for being
overly concerned about their children's safety and well
being. So, if you are concerned about sending your children away
to camp, have you thought of going with them? Family camp experiences
offer children the opportunity to attend a week long camp away
from home for the first time with the security of knowing that
their parents and siblings are along for the fun.
Pam Ehrenreich's two children specifically asked their
mom to find a sleep away camp that they could all attend together. Pam's
seven-year-old and nine-year-old resisted the idea of being away
at camp for the first time, while Pam too was justifiably concerned
recalling her own anxious, homesick time when she first attended
sleep-away camp at her daughter's age. After attending
a week of camp together this past summer, Pam now feels both
of her children are ready to spread their wings and attend a
camp solo this summer.
Family camp is a perfect opportunity for children to gain a sense
of what camp is. Flexibilities built into the daily schedule
offer children the chance to learn what to expect and what is
expected of them. This is particularly evident in the morning
programming at our camp. When children have the opportunity to
attend morning activities such as archery, tennis, or sailing
with other campers their own age, under the best of circumstances
they gain familiarity of routine and the value of sharing experiences
with other children. Depending on maturity and the degree of
independence in each child, parents can choose to be closely
involved or view their children with no obvious participation.
Being close, however, allows for intervention or reassurance
when necessary. What we typically find, gratefully, is that even
our youngest campers wind up, after a day or so, focusing more
on their world and their peer community, rather than needing
to see or be reassured by mom or dad.
Afternoon programming at our camp involves the entire family
spending time together, either in land-based activities or at
lakeside. Fathers and daughters can fish together, siblings' tie-dye
shirts, entire families enjoy an afternoon sail, and some parents
read that neglected novel while their children swim under the
watchful eye of the lifeguards. Even grandparents get into the
spirit of camp—pointing out constellations to the children
by the nightly campfires. Such family-centric time certainly
speaks to bonding and sharing in special experiences. The closeness,
as well, offers further assurance for young children, including
possible times for discussion of and reinforcing newly found
independence and creative endeavors undertaken during morning
sessions.
While kids get to try on camp, reinforcement also comes to parents
who can clearly see directly just what measures are taken by
an ACA-accredited camp to ensure the safety of all campers. There's
the mandatory discussion of camp safety and behavior policies
when families first arrive, required safety procedures that must
be observed and practiced by all family members at all activity
venues, and the consistent level of professionalism in the staff
that especially trains young campers as to what they will expect
in the future when they attend kids' sleep-away camp. Both
parents and kids get to allay any insecurity they might have
about sleep-away camp while having a memorable fun family vacation
together. When the next summer rolls around and the camp registration
process is complete, parents will have peace of mind while their
campers will have the confidence necessary to make their camp
session a memorable as well as positive experience.
That wind-in-your-face feeling you get when riding a bike independently
at full speed is the same freedom children discover at camp when
paddling their own kayak, hitting the bull's eye in archery,
developing their own photos in the darkroom, making that
special memento in arts and crafts, or receiving thunderous applause
for a well-preformed campfire skit. It is at this moment parents
realize that the training wheels are ready to come off.
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