Your Tween at Summer Camp — Can You Let Her Go?

(Image Credit: Poughkeepsiejournal.com)

Now that we’re into July we are officially in the midst of summer, which may mean overnight summer camp for some of your tweens. This is the first summer any one of my kids’ has ever done an overnight camp and I have to confess, it’s my third child! I can officially say that we have survived the experience, and only good came from it!

If you’re about to send your tween off to camp in the upcoming summer weeks, or if you’re considering an overnight camp for next summer, put your mind at ease because really, it is the best adventure your child will ever have. Lifetime memories and friendships will be made at overnight camp.

If your tween is already set to head to camp shortly, kudos! You’ve made the big decision and she’s probably already packed and ready to go. I thought the hardest part was going to say goodbye to my tween, but when we arrived at camp, there was already so much activity going on, it was really easy to say our goodbyes and get back on the road. I didn’t even cry. Which was what I was most worried about doing.

The other thing I was concerned about was the fact that no phone calls are allowed during the week of camp. How was I not going to talk to my tween for a whole week? Most camps now have Facebook pages and will update their pages with lots of great pictures. It was the highlight of my day to see pictures on that Facebook page of my little camper ziplining, canoeing, horseback riding, playing bingo at night and having such a great time at camp!

If you’re not sure what type of camp to send your tween to, there are so many to consider. Does your daughter participate in a particular sport or does she play an instrument that she can focus on during the week away at camp? There are sports camps and musical camps. Is there a special hobby she loves — horseback riding, dance, gymnastics, arts and crafts? Consider a camp she can hone a skill she already has a passion for!

If you haven’t scheduled your daughter to go to sleep-away camp this summer, start researching now for next summer. Talk with her and find out if she’s interested in going. It’s a great chance to learn how to be independent and meet new friends. I truly wish I had given my other kids the opportunity to go to camp when they were younger because it was a life-changing memory-making week for my tween!

About the Author:

Stephanie Elliot, in no particular order, is a wife, writer, blogger, book reviewer, editor and mother to three kids, two who have already been tweens, and one who is right smack in the middle of his tween-ness. Her oldest son is almost driving and her daughter survived her tween years so Stephanie must be doing something right. Find out more at stephanieelliot.com.