My DD is at sleepaway camp and I miss her terribly - how do I get through the next few weeks?

[Anonymous]

I am curious as a mom of young kids, oldest 8. I never knew month and all summer camps were so popular in the DC area. I grew up in Pennsylvania and no one went to camps more than 1 week a summer. Do any of these kids with high structured summers get any time to hang with friends in their neighborhood? Ride bikes, play games, mother's helpers? This is our first summer here and we are struggling to find kids to play with for my 3 kids. Our neighborhood is a ghost town. It is kinda shocking. Where do the young kids go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am curious as a mom of young kids, oldest 8. I never knew month and all summer camps were so popular in the DC area. I grew up in Pennsylvania and no one went to camps more than 1 week a summer. Do any of these kids with high structured summers get any time to hang with friends in their neighborhood? Ride bikes, play games, mother's helpers? This is our first summer here and we are struggling to find kids to play with for my 3 kids. Our neighborhood is a ghost town. It is kinda shocking. Where do the young kids go?

Everyone in Washington disappears in the summer. Many to summer homes and rented beach houses. Some to visit family in better climates. Some go abroad especially if their extended families live in other countries. Mant Washington kids go to private school too so the other kids in the neighborhood aren't always their good friends. Also, summer camp (which is what I call sleep away camp) is just that, unstructured, at least in comparison to regular school session lives, and much safer than playing on the streets here. Kids pick what they want to do at camp. Most little kids go to day camps here too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am curious as a mom of young kids, oldest 8. I never knew month and all summer camps were so popular in the DC area. I grew up in Pennsylvania and no one went to camps more than 1 week a summer. Do any of these kids with high structured summers get any time to hang with friends in their neighborhood? Ride bikes, play games, mother's helpers? This is our first summer here and we are struggling to find kids to play with for my 3 kids. Our neighborhood is a ghost town. It is kinda shocking. Where do the young kids go?

All the kids in our neighborhood go to sleep away camp. If you don't go, youd be the only kid around with no one to play with. So since there's no one to play with, you go to camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious as a mom of young kids, oldest 8. I never knew month and all summer camps were so popular in the DC area. I grew up in Pennsylvania and no one went to camps more than 1 week a summer. Do any of these kids with high structured summers get any time to hang with friends in their neighborhood? Ride bikes, play games, mother's helpers? This is our first summer here and we are struggling to find kids to play with for my 3 kids. Our neighborhood is a ghost town. It is kinda shocking. Where do the young kids go?

All the kids in our neighborhood go to sleep away camp. If you don't go, youd be the only kid around with no one to play with. So since there's no one to play with, you go to camp.

That is one sad neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read the whole thread, but for anyone interested in why summer sleep-away camps are a good idea, please read Homesick and Happy by Michael Thompson.

Some families and neighborhoods are able to replicate the summer camp benefits without summer camp, but for many, the idea of getting kids away from home, with other kids and counselors (who are kids and young adults themselves) into new activities, the bonding experience and satisfaction of being on their own is irreplaceable.

Kids as young as 7 and as old as late teens (particularly as CITs and Jr. Counselors) can benefit.

[Anonymous]

dropping off today! sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious as a mom of young kids, oldest 8. I never knew month and all summer camps were so popular in the DC area. I grew up in Pennsylvania and no one went to camps more than 1 week a summer. Do any of these kids with high structured summers get any time to hang with friends in their neighborhood? Ride bikes, play games, mother's helpers? This is our first summer here and we are struggling to find kids to play with for my 3 kids. Our neighborhood is a ghost town. It is kinda shocking. Where do the young kids go?

All the kids in our neighborhood go to sleep away camp. If you don't go, youd be the only kid around with no one to play with. So since there's no one to play with, you go to camp.

That is one sad neighborhood.

Why do you say this is sad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious as a mom of young kids, oldest 8. I never knew month and all summer camps were so popular in the DC area. I grew up in Pennsylvania and no one went to camps more than 1 week a summer. Do any of these kids with high structured summers get any time to hang with friends in their neighborhood? Ride bikes, play games, mother's helpers? This is our first summer here and we are struggling to find kids to play with for my 3 kids. Our neighborhood is a ghost town. It is kinda shocking. Where do the young kids go?

Everyone in Washington disappears in the summer. Many to summer homes and rented beach houses. Some to visit family in better climates. Some go abroad especially if their extended families live in other countries. Mant Washington kids go to private school too so the other kids in the neighborhood aren't always their good friends. Also, summer camp (which is what I call sleep away camp) is just that, unstructured, at least in comparison to regular school session lives, and much safer than playing on the streets here. Kids pick what they want to do at camp. Most little kids go to day camps here too.

+1 Summer day amp, summer sleep away camp, visit relatives, vacation, 2nd home. Summer is short and full!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious as a mom of young kids, oldest 8. I never knew month and all summer camps were so popular in the DC area. I grew up in Pennsylvania and no one went to camps more than 1 week a summer. Do any of these kids with high structured summers get any time to hang with friends in their neighborhood? Ride bikes, play games, mother's helpers? This is our first summer here and we are struggling to find kids to play with for my 3 kids. Our neighborhood is a ghost town. It is kinda shocking. Where do the young kids go?

All the kids in our neighborhood go to sleep away camp. If you don't go, youd be the only kid around with no one to play with. So since there's no one to play with, you go to camp.

That is one sad neighborhood.

Why do you say this is sad?

Because it isn't a neighborhood. No kids playing, no families hanging out, BBQ, capture the flag, block parties, chasing ice cream truck, kids using their own minds and imagination to play games and hang out. So happy I still live in one of those. I guess it is a dying breed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious as a mom of young kids, oldest 8. I never knew month and all summer camps were so popular in the DC area. I grew up in Pennsylvania and no one went to camps more than 1 week a summer. Do any of these kids with high structured summers get any time to hang with friends in their neighborhood? Ride bikes, play games, mother's helpers? This is our first summer here and we are struggling to find kids to play with for my 3 kids. Our neighborhood is a ghost town. It is kinda shocking. Where do the young kids go?

All the kids in our neighborhood go to sleep away camp. If you don't go, youd be the only kid around with no one to play with. So since there's no one to play with, you go to camp.

That is one sad neighborhood.

Why do you say this is sad?

Because it isn't a neighborhood. No kids playing, no families hanging out, BBQ, capture the flag, block parties, chasing ice cream truck, kids using their own minds and imagination to play games and hang out. So happy I still live in one of those. I guess it is a dying breed. [/quote
]

You live in either a red state or a red zip code / city in a blue state (Harrisburg PA, long island, western Maryland, etc). While I agree the community spirit of 1952 neighborhoods, the price that comes with living in Conservativetown, USA in 2013 just isn't worth it to people like me. The bad would outweigh the admittedly good.

Ergo, camp is the offsite community for our kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious as a mom of young kids, oldest 8. I never knew month and all summer camps were so popular in the DC area. I grew up in Pennsylvania and no one went to camps more than 1 week a summer. Do any of these kids with high structured summers get any time to hang with friends in their neighborhood? Ride bikes, play games, mother's helpers? This is our first summer here and we are struggling to find kids to play with for my 3 kids. Our neighborhood is a ghost town. It is kinda shocking. Where do the young kids go?

All the kids in our neighborhood go to sleep away camp. If you don't go, youd be the only kid around with no one to play with. So since there's no one to play with, you go to camp.

That is one sad neighborhood.

Why do you say this is sad?

Because it isn't a neighborhood. No kids playing, no families hanging out, BBQ, capture the flag, block parties, chasing ice cream truck, kids using their own minds and imagination to play games and hang out. So happy I still live in one of those. I guess it is a dying breed. [/quote
]

You live in either a red state or a red zip code / city in a blue state (Harrisburg PA, long island, western Maryland, etc). While I agree the community spirit of 1952 neighborhoods, the price that comes with living in Conservativetown, USA in 2013 just isn't worth it to people like me. The bad would outweigh the admittedly good.

Ergo, camp is the offsite community for our kids

I'm the poster who asked why it was mentioned that my neighborhood was sad. I have to agree that camp is the offsite community for our kids. In my case, most of the older kids in my neighborhood all go to the same camp. We as parents organize carpools to bring the kids up and back as well as the luggage. Having the kids all together is pretty amazing. First off, they know familiar faces. Second they have shared experiences that they can talk about during the year. Third, we as parents have lots to talk about during neighborhood happy hours. Add to that the neighborhood park is empty of big kids. That means the little kids get to step up and be king of the mountain. Capture the flag, ice cream parties, tug of war, riding bikes...that all happens at camp. And since there are no electronics allowed at camp, I'm pretty sure the kids are using their imagination. The little kids in the neighborhood can't wait until it's their turn to go. Lastly, I love that my daughter has friends from around the world. She has her school friends, her neighborhood friends, and her camp friends. The ones she talks about visiting when she's older--in France, Italy, and Australia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious as a mom of young kids, oldest 8. I never knew month and all summer camps were so popular in the DC area. I grew up in Pennsylvania and no one went to camps more than 1 week a summer. Do any of these kids with high structured summers get any time to hang with friends in their neighborhood? Ride bikes, play games, mother's helpers? This is our first summer here and we are struggling to find kids to play with for my 3 kids. Our neighborhood is a ghost town. It is kinda shocking. Where do the young kids go?

All the kids in our neighborhood go to sleep away camp. If you don't go, youd be the only kid around with no one to play with. So since there's no one to play with, you go to camp.

That is one sad neighborhood.

Why do you say this is sad?

Because it isn't a neighborhood. No kids playing, no families hanging out, BBQ, capture the flag, block parties, chasing ice cream truck, kids using their own minds and imagination to play games and hang out. So happy I still live in one of those. I guess it is a dying breed.

The ice cream truck doesn't even come down our street, or any of our surrounding streets. It goes straight to the neighborhood pool and sits there for extended periods of time. We see it because we hang out at the pool daily. I remember when the ice cream truck used to come up and down my street several times a day as a kid (in this area).