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Dec. 29, 2006
Camp: Is your child ready?
Certain signals indicate whether they can manage alone overnight.
SHARON DUKE ESTROFF
Going to overnight camp for the first time: it is in many
circles a Jewish rite of passage. Unlike becoming a bar or
bat mitzvah, however, the perfect timing for transitioning from
day-camper to overnight camper is not preordained; on the contrary,
it can vary significantly from child to child.
With no magic age to rely on, how do we determine whether or not
our child is ready to take the sleep-away plunge? We take a deep
breath, separate our own conflicted emotions from the question at
hand and look for the following overnight camp readiness markers
in our son or daughter (adapted from guidelines by Chris Scheuer,
director of camping for YMCA camping services of Greater New York):
A desire to go to overnight camp
True, some kids require gentle nudges to get them into the sleep-away
state of mind. But if you notice your child turning a ghastly gray
every time you broach the topic of bug juice or smores, chances
are you should wait another round of the calendar before bringing
them up again.
Successful experiences away from home
Generally speaking, kids who routinely spend the night with friends
without 3 a.m. pleas for pick-up or survive a week at Baba's with
minimal trauma are more likely to take to an extended stay at overnight
camp than kids who don't.
Adaptability to new routines
Every child takes a little while to settle into new schedules and
routines, but some kids become prohibitively anxious in the absence
of familiar protocol. In other words, if you believe your child
might wig out if his favorite Scooby Doo mug isn't delivered nightly
to his bedside with spring water and crushed ice, overnight camp
may be a Scooby Don't for now.
Ability to interact with other children
Your child needn't be a social debutante, but a basic knack for
integrating into a group, relating to other kids and forging friendships
is vital for group/bunk life.
A handle on hygiene basics
While overnight camp provides an excellent forum for promoting independence
in kids, a child who has yet to nail down hygienic basics (ex. face
and body washing, hair and tooth brushing, nose and tuchas
wiping) can quickly become dishevelled, malodorous and embarrassed.
Ability to express needs
Plenty of shy kids thrive in a sleep-away setting, but profound
hesitance to communicate personal needs especially when a
child is not feeling well, needs help learning a skill or isn't
sure where an activity is taking place can compromise a camper's
physical and emotional well-being.
Willingness to experience the outdoors
No matter how expensive an overnight camp might be, it is not going
to be the Ritz. On the contrary, spiders, snakes, rain and mud are
part of the overnight camp fabric. While most kids take well to
the opportunity to connect with nature on such an intimate level,
some kids let's just say do not.
Respect for adults
Enjoying a bit of parent-free abandon is part of the fun of overnight
camp. Still, basic kavod toward counsellors, specialists and other
authority figures, and willingness to adhere to adult-initiated
boundaries, are prerequisites for a successful sleep-away stay.
Consult your parent gut
Finally, keep in mind that the aforementioned guidelines are not
foolproof. Some kids may receive stellar scores in classic overnight
camp readiness signs and still not be ideal summer sleep-away candidates.
Others may come up short on paper, but do absolutely fine at overnight
camp.
This is why it's always important to consult your parent gut - your
intrinsic understanding of your child before making a final
decision on this issue (and on any other parenting issue for that
matter). If, after careful consideration, you determine your son
or daughter is not quite ready for prime-time overnight camp, don't
despair. Embrace the coming months as an opportunity to help your
little camper reach these milestones, and reassess the situation
next year.
Sharon Duke Estroff is an internationally-syndicated Jewish
parenting columnist, award-winning educator and mother of four.
Her first parenting book, Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah?
will be released in 2007.
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