Not weird to skip sleep away camp if you or your DC isn't into it. Different strokes for different folks.

But it is a little weird to be worrying about things like this a year in advance. You said your DC isn't even eligible until next year. So try taking things one day (or even one year) at a time. You may change your mind by next summer or in any of the 6+ summers after that. Or not. Either way would fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a 7 year old and am hearing a lot of buzz from peer parents about sending their children to sleep away camp next year when they are 8. I realize that not anywhere close to every kid does sleep away camp and that 8 is probably young, but I've heard it enough times now that I am a bit self conscious that I can't envision sending my child to do it for a very long time! He is a friendly kid who does not have trouble making friends, but he is definitely an introvert and close to his dad and I, and I know that he wouldn't be ready or want to do it this or next summer. He tends to get overwhelmed when with a friend for a whole day, and he needs alone and quiet time a lot (i.e. he is an introvert). He hasn't even wanted to go for sleepovers yet, and I see no reason to push this, as his social life is plenty full.

Is our experience abnormal? Or are the early sleep away camp people just very vocal?

7 and 8 are just way too young for sleep away camps. The only ones that I know that do this are Jewish people.

+1

I think they send them as toddlers. And like all summer long. So strange

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it ironic that most people don't even let their 7 and 8yr olds outside to bike/play on their own (without mom up their ass) but yet ship them off for a week or more to sleep away camp.

I think if parents just loosened up and let their kids go off on some of their own adventures with friends, there wouldn't be a need to get away from their kids for some "relief."

You are comparing apples to oranges though. Camp is supervised and letting your kids run the neighborhood isn't.

The first poster has a point. I trust my neighbors that I see every day to watch my kid for 2 hours, not some random people who I've never met before to watch my kid day and night for weeks.

Most of my neighbors are random people I don't know. At least I know counselors are background checked. They also have to work in pairs so no counselor or staff member is alone with a camper.

The reason why your neighbors are strangers is because you send your kids to camp and organized activities and not outside to play and get to know their neighborhood. Do you not see that? I guess life is too busy to be a friendly neighbor, huh?

The fact that counsellors that are strangers to you, seem like the safer bet, says a lot about you.

My kids did not want to do sleep-away camps, so they didn't.

My oldest two (twins) are in different colleges now and they are very social and well adjusted.

If your kids want to go to a sleep-away camp then you should let them go. My kids wanted the comforts of home and wanted to sleep in late during vacations. I feel that must be a reason that they were not too hot for a sleep away camp.

They did choose to go to some specialty sleep away camps during HS, but their entire team went as well. So that was a different experience altogether.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sleep-away camp is for rich people. The vast majority of families can not ever afford to send their kids to a sleep-away camp without receiving some sort of donation or charity.

This.

Not necessarily true. Look into 4-H camp. They are grouped by county and, in Virginia, go for 4 nights/5 days starting at age 9 (called Junior camp). 5-8 year old can go with a parent (or both) for 2 nights (called Cloverbud Camp). They are extremely reasonably priced, especially compared to other sleep away camps. I started going at 9, then was a counselor, and eventually on the summer staff so obviously I'm biased but I think it's great. My kids are Cloverbud aged now but when they go to Junior camp, I'll go along as a volunteer (because I miss going to camp!).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it ironic that most people don't even let their 7 and 8yr olds outside to bike/play on their own (without mom up their ass) but yet ship them off for a week or more to sleep away camp.

I think if parents just loosened up and let their kids go off on some of their own adventures with friends, there wouldn't be a need to get away from their kids for some "relief."

You are comparing apples to oranges though. Camp is supervised and letting your kids run the neighborhood isn't.

The first poster has a point. I trust my neighbors that I see every day to watch my kid for 2 hours, not some random people who I've never met before to watch my kid day and night for weeks.

Most of my neighbors are random people I don't know. At least I know counselors are background checked. They also have to work in pairs so no counselor or staff member is alone with a camper.

That's unfortunate. I can't imagine living in a neighborhood where my neighbors are random people I don't know.

To me, 4th grade seems like an ok time to try a week of sleepaway camp, if the child wants. I wouldn't do it for longer than that, and I wouldn't force it if the kid weren't interested.

My sister did sleep away camp a few summers in a row, and loved it. I NEVER did. I was older, but there was no way I was interested in sleeping at camp. I slept over friends' houses, at my grandparents' house without my parents, blah blah.

Just not going to go into a tent (or a cabin, didn't matter) in the dark and then be with kids I don't know for two solid weeks and have to pee in a weird place and swim in god knows what kind of pond and do all that group fun shit.

I did do day camp and enjoyed that.

And, yes, I did camp with the girl scouts for years, 4th through 7th grade (for joy, we even did primitive site camping where we set up our own tents, dug a hole for the bathroom, tra la, for joy) and in 8th grade I announced I was not EVER going to camp again. Done. Did my time, served my camping country, I'm done. Was a girl scout (including a First Class, Gold Award and Silver Award, and went abroad on a world wide GS exchange) through high school.

On the other hand, if my kids want to do it, fine with me. So, no, having a kid who doesn't want to do it is just fine! But don't borrow trouble - you can't imagine it now, but in 2 years perhaps your child will want to try it. Perhaps in middle school, or high school. Perhaps never. It's all good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it ironic that most people don't even let their 7 and 8yr olds outside to bike/play on their own (without mom up their ass) but yet ship them off for a week or more to sleep away camp.

I think if parents just loosened up and let their kids go off on some of their own adventures with friends, there wouldn't be a need to get away from their kids for some "relief."

You are comparing apples to oranges though. Camp is supervised and letting your kids run the neighborhood isn't.

The first poster has a point. I trust my neighbors that I see every day to watch my kid for 2 hours, not some random people who I've never met before to watch my kid day and night for weeks.

Most of my neighbors are random people I don't know. At least I know counselors are background checked. They also have to work in pairs so no counselor or staff member is alone with a camper.