Do your kids go to summer camp? Hailey went once, it was only a weekend camp so she wasn’t gone very long but I think it was good for her.
As a single parent paying for a summer camp may be the last thing on your list. It’s not easy to afford this experience for your child, but it is worth it.
A friend of mine recently sent her kids to camp for five days. She is a single mom and her daughter has become especially clingy. If my friend even talks about going out for the evening her daughter cries, she is afraid her mother won’t come home.
My friend knew that camp would be good for her kids. After doing some research she found that she could get financial aid to send her kids to camp, since she has two the aid really helped.
It was hard for her to get her daughter there. She was really excited initially but as it got closer she started getting more and more weepy about it.
Still, my friend made the kids go. She got a week of no responsibilities and her kids have a scrapbook full of memories.
The best part was that her daughter had the time of her life and can’t wait to go back. She is only eight so she really was having trouble separating from her mother but now she knows that she can have fun on her own.
The experience was really good for them. They learned to be a little more independent, after all, even with a counselor there they were still responsible for their own things.
I think, if you can find a way to afford it, summer camp is a great experience. Kids learn that they can do things for themselves, but most importantly it reinforces the family. Whether home or at camp, your mom is your mom and she will always come back for you.