How Young is Too Young...For Sleepaway Camp?

The camp I went to back in the day had two-week sessions. If you were to go to all four of them, number one, it'd cost a shitload of money and two, the session would end on, say a Saturday and the next one would begin on a Sunday. Thus, you'd have one night in your own bed every two weeks.

For me, I thought it was better to do one session, come home for two weeks, then go back for another session.

 

So they ship their kids off for 4 entire weeks? Wow. Nothing like only wanting to have kids when it's convenient.

And I'm in the camp that 5 1/2 is way too young. My daughter went to Girl Scout Camp last year when she was 8, and I thought that was on the line. And that was for only 2 nights.

 

I've got two boys 8 and 11 and the thought of them away for 4 weeks, wow. At 4 1/2, no way. Now my 11 yr old went away for 3 days last year during school camp and for 5 days this year and I think its great. Maybe 10 would be the cut off for me.

 

Probably the same parents who send their kids to boarding school.

 

Yeah, I have a hard time having much respect for parents who ship their kids off for several weeks during the summer.

I went to my first sleepaway camp during a school sponsored camping trip when I was in sixth grade. You pretty much had to go. A bunch of kids smuggled alcohol up there and one girl had to be hospitalized.

So needless to say I'm not going to be pushing my kids away at these kinds of camps until they're in high school. I went to football camps all through high school and they were policed a lot better than any of the school ones I went to.

 

Everyone's got to raise their kids their own way, but I think most of you are way too scared of letting your child learn a little independence in a controlled environment. 4 weeks is too long, but I think you'd be surprised how well younger kids would do in a week-long camp.

 

I agree you raise your kids your way. My youngest for the past couple of years would go to birthday parties but not sleep over even if his friends were staying over. I wanted to push back but let it go. Now (8), he loves it and cannot wait for the next sleepover. He also acts like it was my fault that he did not get stay for the sleepover. Kids. Always the parents' fault.

 

Smuggled alcohol in sixth grade? Did you go to school with Amy Winehouse?

 

My guess is the true intent behind this is a 4 week. kid free vacation for the parents, as opposed to a fun and developmental experience for the kids.

 

Thanks for weighing in, everyone. I know a lot of people who send their kids off for 4 (or more) weeks when the kids are a little older than the kid I mentioned in the original post. Every single one of these parents says how much the kids love camp, but somehow it comes off as the parents enjoying it more.