Anonymous wrote:I have the same fears. Why can you wait until she older?
I also have amazing memories from mine, but that 25 years ago and seriously the realities are so different!

How are the realities different? Do you honestly think there are more molesters out there than there were years ago? If anything, there is more awareness and more prevention efforts, and kids are better taught to avoid dangerous situations. I will send my kid when she decides she wants to go, assuming she has the maturity to handle it at that time. I started at 9 and wouldn't have traded it for the world, but some kids are not ready until 11 or 12, or never. The only thing I will say is that at my camp, someone who came for the first time at 12 or older might have had a hard time getting into the swing of things, as many of the friendships had already been established for years before.

I have the same fears. Why can you wait until she older?
I also have amazing memories from mine, but that 25 years ago and seriously the realities are so different!

I really don't understand this. It's been 20 years since I went to camp at age ten, and I don't think the realities are any different. Same place, same activities, same sorts of people on staff. If anything, camps are more safety conscious these days than they used to be, and if anything, the opportunity to be "unplugged" in nature and away from hovering parents are of greater value today than in previous generations.

I'd hesitate to send my ten year old if they did not want to attend, but I remember the longing I had to attend summer camp at that age, and the fact that my parents relented (my mother did not want me away) was of so much benefit to me in the long run.

I have the same fears. Why can you wait until she older?
I also have amazing memories from mine, but that 25 years ago and seriously the realities are so different!

Anonymous wrote:Quesions for all moms: aren't you afraid to send your daughters at that young age? Mine is 10 and is thinking of it!
I am freaking out...

Why scared to send daughters? If you're worried about them being molested or something, you could always do an all-girls camp with all or mostly female staff. I went to sleep away camp for the whole summer starting at age 8 and I loved loved loved it. Truly it was one of the most amazing experiences of my childhood. I plan to send both of my kids as soon as they are old enough to want to go.

Quesions for all moms: aren't you afraid to send your daughters at that young age? Mine is 10 and is thinking of it!
I am freaking out...

I spent many summers here as a kid, LOVED it, and can't wait to send my kids. It's a bit far from DC (in the Adirondacks) but there were some kids from this area that attended. Great place - I think of it fondly every year when summer rolls around.

http://www.forestlakecamp.com/

Anonymous wrote:Depends on budget. I went to summer camp in Maine every summer and loved it!

Can you recommend the camp you attended?

My kiddo has been going to Shire Village in Western Massachusetts and loves it. Most of the kids there are from NYC, but there are some from the DC area.

Depends on budget. I went to summer camp in Maine every summer and loved it!

Tell me about the sleep away camp that you and your child love.
Thinking of starting in the next year or two. Do DC metro people send their kids to camps in MD, VA or WV? Or farther?