My daughter desperately wanted to attend a church-sponsored camp this summer. Only, there were two problems: It’s a sleepaway camp held about 100 miles away from our home, and you have to 10 years or older to attend-—my daughter’s six.
Without a doubt (at least in my mind) she is absolutely too young to attend. There is no way that she is mature enough to spend a week away from home—alone. However, I do know some nine year olds, who are incredibly independent and could easily blossom at the camp, but will have to wait until next year to attend.
That’s the thing with kids and summer activities. There will always be some younger children who are exponentially more mature than their older counterparts, but rules are rules.
My question is how do camps come up with age restrictions?
In some cases it is obvious. For example, if we’re talking about a traditional overnight summer camp that runs eight to ten weeks, then it makes sense that the minimum age is high. However, what about sleepaway camps that are only two or three days long?
Distance is also a factor. I’m not sure I would be comfortable sending my 12-year-old to a camp on the East Coast when we lived on the West Coast, regardless of her maturity level. Heck, I don’t even think I would be thrilled to send my kid to a sleepover camp in Minnesota, and we live in Wisconsin.
Of course, parents know their children best and if your kid has spent a fair amount of time away from home before and handled himself in a mature fashion, then you might consider giving in to his requests to fly away from the nest for part of the summer.
Personally, I would be more comfortable if my child was attending camp with a good friend. Knowing a camp counselor or two is also a bonus for worried parents.
What criteria do you follow when deciding whether or not your child is ready for overnight summer camp?
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