AKA Are YOU Ready for your child to be away??
We’ve been doing overnight camps for a long time…
Why Do we strongly recommend two weeks as a minimum?
For campers who are joining us for the first time, homesickness is a very real thing. It usually takes 4 days for the worst cases to settle into our norms in a way that they become fully immersed in the camp experience. When campers only stay for a week they really never let themselves process the truth within their emotions, and come to understand that even though it initially feels like sadness, the full spectrum of emotion has roots based in love. Campers then learn to accept that homesickness relates to the deep love they feel for their family. The acceptance of this knowing turns homesickness from a feeling of grief to a profound gratitude for their love of their family.
“I initially received letters from day one & two begging to come home which was terribly hard to read, but by the end of Lukes session se was begging to stay the rest of the summer!” - Jessica
Questions to consider in order to assess readiness:
Are YOU ready to support your child in this transition away from you and trust in our process?
Has your child slept away from home before, at a relatives or friends house? Was it successful?
Was it easy or hard for your child to be convinced to sleep away and then to stay away the whole night?
Can your child take care of themself for the most part?
Does your child express an interest in attending camp?
How much persuasion is needed to convince your child to go to camp or to a specific camp?
Does your child generally sleep through the night?
Is your child able to ask for help or state their needs to an adult when they have a problem?
Does your child rarely wet themself at night or during the day?
Is your child able to express their feelings in words reasonably well?
When your child is upset, does your child eventually ask for and accept help?
Does your child recover from setbacks reasonably well?
Has your child started taking a new medication or had an emotional setback just before camp starts?
Are you and your child comfortable with the communication and cell phone policies during camp?
If flying to camp, are you and your child comfortable with the airline policies and camp procedures regarding minors flying without an adult?
Prepare for Camp?
Both you and your child have determined that your child is ready to go to camp, but you still worry about them getting homesick. Here are some things you could do with/for them to help mitigate any homesickness that might creep up while at camp.
In some cases homesickness stems from nervousness about one activity, like backpacking or rock climbing. Go over all of the camp’s activities with your child so that they know what to expect, perhaps putting more focus on the activities or situations your child may be more nervous about.
Have “practice sleepovers” before camp by letting your child sleep over at friends’ houses for consecutive nights.
Discuss what camp could be like and consider role-playing certain potential camp situations that your camper may be nervous about or hasn’t considered yet.
Pre-write letters to be distributed to your child throughout camp. Provide these letters to Counselors ahead of camp if they will be on an expedition where mail cannot be received during camp.
Send them off to camp with one or two addressed, stamped envelopes and paper for them to write letters to you.
Don’t bribe your child to come to camp. This sends negative messages and if you are resorting to bribing, your child is probably not ready.
Pack a personal item from home that will make them feel more comfortable.
Talk to your child about being away from home for the camp’s duration. Let them know that you will miss them and that you know your child is a strong kid who can go away to camp and enjoy it.
Homesickness at Camp
Homesickness is completely normal and it’s not unusual for campers to experience a few days or bouts of homesickness near the beginning of camp, before the fun activities start and before they have really solidified new friendships.
Camp W is appealing to kids who are ready to try a low-pressure adventure camp for the first time away from home. Camp W camp is a great place for kids to work through the challenges of being away from home because they are constantly busy with games and activities and are surrounded by a family-like group of new friends. Campers come away from camp feeling accomplished in the challenges of being away from home, outdoor tent living, and reaching high peaks and lakes. They make many new friends and have increased endurance levels and positive self-esteem. Camp Ws kids are inspired!
For most kids, Camp W is a totally new kind of camp. Kids are a long way from home, without a friend or family member and sleeping in cabins, tents, and living outdoors for an extended period of time; you can expect a few days of adjustment in gaining personal comfort, becoming more resilient and making real bonds with others. If your child gets homesick at camp there may be a few tears, a stomachache, and declarations of missing home and family and sometimes a desire to call home or return home. We commonly see homesickness creep in at night before bed and in tents, we see homesickness exacerbated by nervousness with an upcoming backpacking trip or activity that they have a fear of and are not sure if they can do. Also, if kids are not feeling like they have bonded with new friends or if perhaps they feel like there are “no other kids at camp like them” homesick feelings can be intensified. There are small numbers of campers in our groups together, so, it’s a small and personal group and feelings are easily shared and made better or worse together as a group. It’s not uncommon for homesickness to become contagious in teen groups of this size and personal proximity and closeness. It’s also not uncommon for kids to bond over homesickness and help each other get through it and rise above it and have fun. Lifelong friendships can stem from one homesick episode.
Camp Staff Caring for Homesickness
At pre-camp staff training, Counselors will role-play scenarios of camper homesickness, they’ll receive helpful tips on how to care for campers with homesickness, and they’ll learn how to identify when homesickness becomes unhealthy for an individual or the camp group. They are not therapists, but will do their best to work through homesickness with your camper if your child gets homesick at camp. We care about your child and want them to remain at camp and have the fantastic time we know your child can have if your child wants to and is ready to. To help them with their homesickness we’ll talk to them and listen to what your child has to say and give them a hug if your child wants one. We’ll reassure them that feelings like this are totally normal and that it can take time to get used to being away from home in a new situation like camp. We’ll try to get them to talk about what your child’s most excited about at camp and have them look ahead to that, we’ll keep them busy so your child has less down time to think about home, and we’ll address their concerns. Camp staff will continue to work with your child for as long as your child expresses homesickness, until we think that it is detrimental to the well being of them or others at camp. If there is more than a bit of homesickness during camp, camp leadership staff will consult on how to best proceed because we rarely send campers home as this all can be a tremendous learning opportunity. It’s possible we will reach out to parents in search of information that may assist the camper in moving beyond homesickness. If camp is well underway and homesickness is debilitating or interrupts the group's enjoyment and your child continues to express a desire to go home or to be calling home in order to get through camp, staying at this type of wilderness based adventure camp is not an option. It’s possible that this type of overnight camp was too much for them at this stage and that your child’s just not ready yet. Don’t punish them for coming home early and you can try it again next year after encouraging more independent actions and overnight away from home experiences throughout the year.