My DD wants to go and my DS doesn't. Its that simple. I never went and can fully understand my DS not wanting to either.

My nieces and nephews never attended and college was quite a shock. This was despite having to share a room at home with other siblings. Just never having been away from home and navigating taking care of themselves was an added stress on top of starting school. They also never expressed interest in going and balked at the idea. My siblings now say they wish they had made their kids go. They left for college never having spent more than 2 nights away from home and that was with friends at homes nearby.

Yes, it's expensive but I really it believe it has value so it's worth investing in. Many camps have options for just 2 weeks.

Currently our kids doesn't want to, I'm not forcing the issue as I feel that the time will come and if it doesn't then it wasn't meant to be. I certainly never did a sleep away camp at his age when I was growing up - first time I did one was closer to 15 years old. I didn't have any issues going away to college so age 11 seems young to me.

Anonymous wrote:Most people can't afford to.

Exactly this.

Perhaps most urban people who can afford to, but most people? Nah.

Anonymous wrote:The point of sleep away for us was to prepare our child for college. I never went anywhere before college and the transition was impossible. I didn't want my kid to have to face a strange new environment and not have the skills to manage. Sent her to gymnastics camp for two weeks with a team at age 8 until 11. Sent her to China for a month at 13. She's also done years of CTY which was as close to college as you can get. She is now far away at college and loving it. She has her own apartment and just interviewed for a summer internship.

Like anything else, the importance of this is entirely in the eye of the beholder. PP thought it was very important, others will, others won't. It wasn't particularly popular in my area and my parents certainly couldn't afford it most of my childhood, but everyone in my circle adjusted just fine to school and spent our summers scooping ice cream, playing travel sports or lifeguarding.

I can't wait to ship my kids off...

The point of sleep away for us was to prepare our child for college. I never went anywhere before college and the transition was impossible. I didn't want my kid to have to face a strange new environment and not have the skills to manage. Sent her to gymnastics camp for two weeks with a team at age 8 until 11. Sent her to China for a month at 13. She's also done years of CTY which was as close to college as you can get. She is now far away at college and loving it. She has her own apartment and just interviewed for a summer internship.

I did travel camp when I was 13 - left Monday and came home Friday. We went to a different place each week, sleeping in hotels.

My 12yr old DD has never been to sleep away camp. Most of her friends have. She has no interest in it. She's fine. She'll continue to be fine.

No

No one I knew ever did, but my oldest went last year and is going again this year. It is a great experience, and we can afford it.

Personally, I think it is important for a tween or teen to go away by themselves at some point before shipping them off for college. If not sleep away "camp," there are other programs they go on (teen tours, camping trips, programs on college campuses when they are in high school).

Most people can't afford to.

I read the thread on people's sleepaway camp experiences. Our 13-YO DS has never been to sleepaway camp (combination of him not wanting to and us thinking it's too expensive)--but almost everyone we know has their kids go starting around age 11. Trying to get a sense of how common it actually is to never go. Also, will he be missing out on some great life experience if he doesn't go? The thread seemed mixed.