What is your 13 year old doing this summer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t get 13-year-old to go to Sleepaway camp. Her main issue is she thinks she won’t be able to sleep well. She is very high maintenance and requires a lot of conditions to sleep. She also tends to be sleepwalker. Should I continue to encourage her to find a sleep away camp or let this go? I feel like she’s missing out on such a great childhood experience.

13 is old to start unless she is really interested in going. Sleepaway camp isn’t for high maintenance kids. They won’t like it. They need to be adaptable, resilient, and ok being uncomfortable from time to time and dealing with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government contractor as IT support help desk, $30/hr.

A 13 year old??

Yes, troubleshoot network and application issues on PC and MAC. DH taught him how to do that at the age of ten. My neighbor is a Fed and she convinces one of the gov contractors to hire my son.

Similar for our kid 14 though he builds out AI/AR environments for companies/orgs. Makes a ton of money.

AI and AR are two completely separate fields, so which is it. Please, provide more details...which companies, what languages is your kid using, etc.

I know they are two different fields. He has done some learning models for inventory and traffic flow for retail. I don’t remember what he uses for that I believe it is modified Jetson setup connect to several cameras.

Then copying the physical store as a foot print to build out a virtual store using Unity.
He is pretty proficient in Python. And is getting into data science using Tableau.

Now he is working on a training environment to mimic standard processes for small assemblies.

Neither me or spouse are industry or hobby tech people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 14-year-old is working as a CIT at a tennis camp, with the hope that he will get hired next year when he is 15 (the minimum age to work at the camp).

Would love to hear the name of the tennis camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t get 13-year-old to go to Sleepaway camp. Her main issue is she thinks she won’t be able to sleep well. She is very high maintenance and requires a lot of conditions to sleep. She also tends to be sleepwalker. Should I continue to encourage her to find a sleep away camp or let this go? I feel like she’s missing out on such a great childhood experience.

13 is old to start unless she is really interested in going. Sleepaway camp isn’t for high maintenance kids. They won’t like it. They need to be adaptable, resilient, and ok being uncomfortable from time to time and dealing with it.

The only kids I know that go are high maintenance kids from high maintenance families LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious did all your parents plan your entire summer out in January or did you just have like an actual summer?

I mean the kid's a teenager. This thread is embarrassing and coddling.

Isn't the whole point of being a teen is finally having some weeks of nothing and fun. Limit the screens and let them be bored and create their own fun.

I went to sleep away camp for 8 weeks at age 13. My kids are going for 7 weeks at same age.

These are Jewish camps. I am talking the rest of society.

[Anonymous]

Summer for FCPS is 9 weeks. We are doing for 13 yr old—

1 week vacation
1 week with cousins
Find 1-2 weeks day camp (specialty camp or sports camp offered locally — day camp for older kids seem to come out later)
Some overnights at local grandparents probably

Other than that, down time/neighborhood friends. We belong to pool and can go in evening after I finish work (kid will sleep late). The busy weeks will be interspersed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t get 13-year-old to go to Sleepaway camp. Her main issue is she thinks she won’t be able to sleep well. She is very high maintenance and requires a lot of conditions to sleep. She also tends to be sleepwalker. Should I continue to encourage her to find a sleep away camp or let this go? I feel like she’s missing out on such a great childhood experience.

13 is old to start unless she is really interested in going. Sleepaway camp isn’t for high maintenance kids. They won’t like it. They need to be adaptable, resilient, and ok being uncomfortable from time to time and dealing with it.

The only kids I know that go are high maintenance kids from high maintenance families LOL

That really depends on the camp. Dp my kids camp is focused on hiking/camping. My 13 year old will be doing a 13 day canoe trip during her 4 weeks at camp. If it isn’t on or hanging from her back in her dry bag, she’s not accessing it during that time. It’s pretty much the farthest you can get to high maintenance. My 10 year old dd will be hiking for 5 days in NH for her trip and sleeping in tents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious did all your parents plan your entire summer out in January or did you just have like an actual summer? I mean the kid's a teenager. This thread is embarrassing and coddling. Isn't the whole point of being a teen is finally having some weeks of nothing and fun. Limit the screens and let them be bored and create their own fun.

Yes, my parents said to me in January "Want to go to this camp again or do you want to try this new camp?" and I picked the one of the two I wanted. Please understand that in some areas, EVERYONE goes to camp all summer. I was in 9th grade before I met a girl who didn't go to camp, and was floored. Me: But what do you DO all summer? Her: watch tv, hang out. Me: Who do you hang out with? Her: my little brother and sister mostly - nobody else is around.

No, the "whole point" of being a teen is not having some weeks of nothing. And why do you think camp isn't fun? I went to a travel camp the summer I was 13, right before 9th grade. I left Monday mornings and came home Friday evenings - we traveled all over the country (and to Canada) and stayed in hotels. I had a great time! Plus I learned how to pack for a week, budget money, share a room, keep track of time, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Four weeks band camp, two weeks sleepaway, one week fishing camp, the rest vacation/veg out.

7 weeks of camp!!!

And we wonder why our kids have no autonomy, street smarts, or confidence.

My kid will be a rising eighth grader. What do you want him to do? Two weeks of sleepaway is great for independence. We also don't baby him so he is already quite mature for his age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious did all your parents plan your entire summer out in January or did you just have like an actual summer? I mean the kid's a teenager. This thread is embarrassing and coddling. Isn't the whole point of being a teen is finally having some weeks of nothing and fun. Limit the screens and let them be bored and create their own fun.

Yes, my parents said to me in January "Want to go to this camp again or do you want to try this new camp?" and I picked the one of the two I wanted. Please understand that in some areas, EVERYONE goes to camp all summer. I was in 9th grade before I met a girl who didn't go to camp, and was floored. Me: But what do you DO all summer? Her: watch tv, hang out. Me: Who do you hang out with? Her: my little brother and sister mostly - nobody else is around.

No, the "whole point" of being a teen is not having some weeks of nothing. And why do you think camp isn't fun? I went to a travel camp the summer I was 13, right before 9th grade. I left Monday mornings and came home Friday evenings - we traveled all over the country (and to Canada) and stayed in hotels. I had a great time! Plus I learned how to pack for a week, budget money, share a room, keep track of time, etc.

I feel like this may be a socioeconomic issue. I grew up poor and did absolutely nothing - which was boring. My kids are able to do things and enjoy their summers.

[Anonymous]

My husband grew up really poor in rural MO and he wishes he had something (anything!) to do during the summers. Our kids went to rec camps when younger and now as teens, will work some and hit the pool and do nothing. I’m all for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband grew up really poor in rural MO and he wishes he had something (anything!) to do during the summers. Our kids went to rec camps when younger and now as teens, will work some and hit the pool and do nothing. I’m all for it.

What all your parents don’t seem to be getting is kids don’t “do nothing.” if they don’t have enough activity to keep them productively busy, they will get into trouble or see things online they shouldn’t or pick up bad habits. It’s human nature. If you don’t have a daily motivation to be productive in someway, you will go astray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious did all your parents plan your entire summer out in January or did you just have like an actual summer?

I mean the kid's a teenager. This thread is embarrassing and coddling.

Isn't the whole point of being a teen is finally having some weeks of nothing and fun. Limit the screens and let them be bored and create their own fun.

I went to sleep away camp for 8 weeks at age 13. My kids are going for 7 weeks at same age.

These are Jewish camps. I am talking the rest of society.

Plenty of non Jewish kids have been going to sleep away camps for the past 100 yrs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband grew up really poor in rural MO and he wishes he had something (anything!) to do during the summers. Our kids went to rec camps when younger and now as teens, will work some and hit the pool and do nothing. I’m all for it.

What all your parents don’t seem to be getting is kids don’t “do nothing.” if they don’t have enough activity to keep them productively busy, they will get into trouble or see things online they shouldn’t or pick up bad habits. It’s human nature. If you don’t have a daily motivation to be productive in someway, you will go astray.

Agree. What “doing nothing” means in 2024 is entirely different than doing nothing meant in 1997

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious did all your parents plan your entire summer out in January or did you just have like an actual summer? I mean the kid's a teenager. This thread is embarrassing and coddling. Isn't the whole point of being a teen is finally having some weeks of nothing and fun. Limit the screens and let them be bored and create their own fun.

Yes, my parents said to me in January "Want to go to this camp again or do you want to try this new camp?" and I picked the one of the two I wanted. Please understand that in some areas, EVERYONE goes to camp all summer. I was in 9th grade before I met a girl who didn't go to camp, and was floored. Me: But what do you DO all summer? Her: watch tv, hang out. Me: Who do you hang out with? Her: my little brother and sister mostly - nobody else is around.

No, the "whole point" of being a teen is not having some weeks of nothing. And why do you think camp isn't fun? I went to a travel camp the summer I was 13, right before 9th grade. I left Monday mornings and came home Friday evenings - we traveled all over the country (and to Canada) and stayed in hotels. I had a great time! Plus I learned how to pack for a week, budget money, share a room, keep track of time, etc.

I feel like this may be a socioeconomic issue. I grew up poor and did absolutely nothing - which was boring. My kids are able to do things and enjoy their summers.

And regional. I send a kid to sleepaway camp but nobody I knew from the South ever went. None of my cousins or friends. We did swim team, played baseball and sometimes took classes. I went to Girl’s State my senior year of high school but that was nothing like the sleepaway camp experience my kid gets.