I’ve been thinking a lot about summer camp and programs for kids and all the different choices that are available for children these days. As a working mom, I know it will mean a lot of anxiety come summer time and trying to plug my kids into fun, safe places while I work. There are a lot of moms I know that don’t struggle with fear in these situation, but I do. I struggle with knowing the right places to choose for my kids, wanting to let them grow and also still desiring to shelter them (probably too much).
As a mom who is possibly slightly overprotective, here are some ways that summer camp is very good for me, as a parent.
- Our kids need to learn the importance of being away from mom and dad. An overnight adventure, weekend or a week long camp experience can be a great growing time for a child, and a parent too. Guess what – I can’t always be there. I just can’t.
- Not being around your child all the time helps you learn to trust them more. If you aren’t there they have to make decisions without you. This is a good thing.
- Ideally kids don’t live in the house forever, right? Camp experiences help us train ourselves for the inevitable reality that childhood doesn’t last forever and adulthood will come before we are ready. While that may seem slightly depressing, I think camp can be a small stepping stone along the way.
- Allowing kids to have an experience that is uniquely theirs, doing things they don’t normally have the opportunity to do with us, allows us to see parts of their personalities emerge that we may have never seen before. We develop pride in learning that are children are capable of things we never imagined – or perhaps were just too over-protective to allow them the opportunity.
Every child is different and knowing what age to send your child to camp may vary. Black Diamond Camps has something for kids of every age and would be happy to discuss their programs with you. Group camps, sports camp, individual camps and day camps provide opportunities for everyone. My anxiety is relieved knowing that there are camps like this to provide a safe, nurturing, solid experience for my children when the time is right.
So, what about you? Do you struggle with these decisions or are they a piece of cake? Anyone else slightly overprotective?
