Reading a recent article at Huffington Post about sleep away camp has me in a bit of a tizzy. The writer (Tina Traster) described a camp information session she was recently at where parents worried about peanuts, and junk food, and socializing with other kids. She also recalled the reality of her own camp days were counselors weren’t screened and she experienced “the most unadulterated part of childhood”.
At 13 and 15, my kids have never been to sleep away camp unless you count a few 4-day church youth retreats and a couple of trips to Bob Jones University for Arts Competitions. Considering the fact that they did not enjoy these short experiences tells me that overnight summer camp is not something they covet. Still should they make the request, we would certainly want to oblige them.
After reading this article, however, it will be with much fear and trepidation. After reading about her “explorations” and “mistakes”, my mind wanders back to whether or not my daughter needs the HPV vaccine after all!… These are not good thoughts for me.
If thoughts of your children frolicking about unchecked makes you as worried as me, don’t look to the internet for peace of mind. Summer camp horror stories abound. “Every year some 11 million kids go off to some 12,000 summer camps in the United States to experience the ecstasy of nature, instant friendship, and lanyards. Many of them do, but some of them experience something else — traumatic emotional abuse, physical dangers, and weird cultish rules.”
So what is your typical hovering type parent to do? Ask lots of questions. Make sure you retain access to your kids. And hope for the best. Then there’s always the option of opting out.
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