Just got a sad letter from my 11-year-old
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Anonymous
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Who is away at summer camp for three weeks. Is this normal? He will celebrate his bday there and the whole note was about how sad he was that he wouldn't see us, how he cried about it, how long letters are taking to reach him, and ended with a huge sad face. He got there a week ago and his first letter was upbeat. We've seen photos on the camp's app and he's smiling.
Ugh. I am feeling so guilty. |
Anonymous
| Yes this is very normal and not a problem. Keep sending cheerful, loving letters and don't worry about it. It's okay to be homesick. |
Anonymous
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Very normal, although it's not helpful to hear.
Do you have a way to email your camper rather than snail mail a letter? Does the camp let you connect with him for his birthday? |
Anonymous
| My DS celebrated his birthday at camp last year and asked to switch to a different session this year so he could be home on his birthday. It made him really homesick. |
Anonymous
| aww i'm sorry that must have been hard to read. what kind of kid is he though...is he a deep feeler who is prone to sadness? Or is this a kid way of saying that he kinda misses you? I have one kid who is very in touch with her "sad feelings" and a letter like that would have meant she was feeling hard stuff, and another who would have been grinning as he wrote me a letter full of sad faces. Hope your guy is okay though! |
Anonymous
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Is this his first letter? How long has he been there and how soon after arriving is it dated?
Only asking bc there was a big delay with my kids’ letters. I got a letters dated July 14, posted July 16, and arrived to me July 19. It is very likely he is over the sadness by now |
Anonymous
| My DD sent me a similar letter last summer but thankfully it arrived after she came home. It broke my heart when I read it. No advice but just know your kid is not the only one who got homesick. |
Anonymous
| Let him come home and celebrate his birthday with him. Jeez! |
Anonymous
| It’s very possible he was just having a bad day and is fine now. Try not to worry about it. |
Anonymous
Do you know how summer camps work? |
Anonymous
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Seven days in is often the height of homesickness. The first few days are a whirlwind of excitement but then that wears off and it hits him that he is Not Home.
Hang in there! This will be good for him. |
Anonymous
| Aw, I’m sorry. I know it’s hard not to feel guilty, but just remember how fortunate he is to be able to experience something like this, even if he doesn’t love every minute of it. Working through those feelings is good for him to practice. Can you treat him to a special second birthday when he gets home? Maybe in your next message, tell him to start thinking about what he’d want to do, and keep it upbeat. |
Anonymous
Seven days is long enough. It’s good for you is really what you mean, not for the child. |
Anonymous
| My mom kept letters from me explaining that I was completely miserable and begging to come home, but I have only happy memories of camp. It’s normal for kids to get homesick especially during the down times when they are likely to write a letter. Camp is good for kids. |
Anonymous
| The kid has been at camp for some time now and is miserable and wants to be with family for his birthday. This is easy, go pick him up. |