Q re showering at sleepaway camp

[Anonymous]

Ds goes to a camp with separate bath houses l. They allegedly shower at night. He wears his regular clothes to the shower and brings a caddy with towel and PJs. Then gets undressed in the little changing room attached to the shower (kind of like at the beach or water park). Then changes and carries stuff back.

[Anonymous]

Does every little aspect of your child's life have to be micromanaged and smoothed over by you? Your kid will deal with whatever the setup is at camp, just like every other kid there. Christ on a cracker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can folks share any good shower carriers/caddies they've used for sleepaway camp?

Just go get one from the dollar store. https://www.dollartree.com/divided-3-compartment-plastic-caddies/25164?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=gpla&utm_campaign=googlepla&utm_id=25164&utm_source=google&utm_medium={medium}&utm_campaign=18069041027&utm_content=&utm_term=&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=18069041027&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=gpla&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAqNSsBhAvEiwAn_tmxdqHfV9SLOQpl1-zwQk5wFbrznmomjDmnaMG-r3HOBP0evrPdW7aEBoCZM0QAvD_BwE

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I went to overnight camp for the first time a while ago and had a similar worry. Just like I was he’s probably very nervous/self conscious. The first night I was so worried, I felt like I was gonna throw up. But you know what? It was actually really good for me. I know this answer won’t satisfy your kid in the slightest, (I know it wouldn’t have satisfied me) but one thing my dad said that helped me was “son, you’re smart enough to be OK, and to figure this out, trust yourself.

[Anonymous]

So many parents have really effed up their kids with weird modesty and body issues. When I was going to camp there was just one large shower room with many spigots. Each cabin had its time to go, and in the shower we only wore our flip flops to avoid athlete’s foot. It was fine and no big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty sure that I didn't take a shower once at sleepaway camp. I just counted on the chlorine of the pool to kill any germs.

Not saying that's a good plan, just telling it like it is. Or was, back in the 70's.

At my camp the only showers were connected to the pool. So, if you wanted to shower you showered after swimming. Except the showers were full of Daddy Longlegs, so most of the girls were scared of them.

[Anonymous]

OP, there may be a parents FB group for your kid's camp where you can ask about this -- check out their FB or IG page and maybe ask in the comments if such a group exists or if a parent would be willing to answer some questions from you via email.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid with anxiety, so I get it. But the best answer that you can give him is “I know you can figure this out.” If a robe wasn’t on the camping packing list then you can assume that won’t be required or common.

Giving our kids the answers takes away their ability to problem solve. I know it seems like “just one little thing,” but our teens and young adults are hugely anxious, and I think that we need to step back and stop solving their problems for them simply because we have access to thousands of experienced adults on forums like these that can give us answers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many parents have really effed up their kids with weird modesty and body issues. When I was going to camp there was just one large shower room with many spigots. Each cabin had its time to go, and in the shower we only wore our flip flops to avoid athlete’s foot. It was fine and no big deal.

I went to that kind of camp too. There was one girl who was more developed than the rest of us (she had pubic hair!) and some of the girls were so mean to her. It's a big deal to some people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many parents have really effed up their kids with weird modesty and body issues. When I was going to camp there was just one large shower room with many spigots. Each cabin had its time to go, and in the shower we only wore our flip flops to avoid athlete’s foot. It was fine and no big deal.

I went to that kind of camp too. There was one girl who was more developed than the rest of us (she had pubic hair!) and some of the girls were so mean to her. It's a big deal to some people.

I went to a similar camp but no one took showers—we all went and jumped in the lake naked with our soap and shampoo nearly every night. I went for five years and would never do anything like that naywhere else, and probably on the first few days I was weirded out by it, but when literally everyone else is doing it, your concerns quickly get dropped.

[Anonymous]

Op, it seems like you’ve gotten some decent guidance here and the bottom line is you’re not gonna be able to tell your son exactly what to expect but maybe you can help him prepare for a couple different options and then tell him you’re confident he can handle it.

[Anonymous]

My kid said the counselors told them to change in the shower stall after showering. The logistics of this didn't seem great since there was no bench or place to put dry clothes. But I didn't ask too many questions because I don't care as long as she was occasionally taking a shower.

There was a much bigger emphasis on changing in private for her than there was when I was younger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many parents have really effed up their kids with weird modesty and body issues. When I was going to camp there was just one large shower room with many spigots. Each cabin had its time to go, and in the shower we only wore our flip flops to avoid athlete’s foot. It was fine and no big deal.

The camp we went to is pretty inclusive, meaning there might be a child who parts don't match their presentation. The showers are private. Big, giant shower rooms are definitely a thing of the past. Not for "weird modesty" issues but for the safety of some of these kids.