Double the Laundry in the 9 Days

ra_mom

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 8:17 pm

This is just a little vent regarding the ridiculous day camp practice during the 9 days of having sprinkler and other water related activities each day, which take place while the campers are fully clothed.
I understand that the kids miss swimming and they really appreciate the water actives, but really, you want us moms to send an extra set of clothes each day during the 9 days?
Would it be so hard to have the kids get into their bathing suits before the water activies? I honestly don't think it would take away from the spirit of the 9 days for the children to be properly attired before they start any water activies.
I actually wash children's clothes during the 9 days but I really shouldn't be needing to wash double during this time of mourning. And many mom's don't wash any laundry at all during the 9 day period. I don't think they should be expected to have 14 complete sets of clothing for each child.

cnc

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 8:20 pm

That is so so ridiculous .
When I was upstate for the summer and my children had water activities during the nine days they were expected to wear their bathing suits and swim cover ups on top.

In the city, their day camps don't do water activities.

chanee

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 8:27 pm

The daycamp my kids attend doesn't do sprinklers or any other dirty/wet clothing games now in the 9 days. Not even because they necessarily care about having to change to other clothes as to not do any activities that are more excited than a simple rainy day. They now have more indoor games. Also more arts and crafts. Maybe you should call them and complain. Changing every day to another set of clothes is definitely not ideal for now.

notshanarishona

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 8:30 pm

The problem is more of a technical one. The swimming pool is fenced in. When they do water play it is in a more public area, at least in every camp I have ever seen.
I would just ask the counselors to hang up the clothes after they get wet instead of putting in a bag all day and then you can re wear.

ra_mom

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 9:00 pm

Lol. The first day I sent a swimsuit dress / cover-up and dd came home wearing it from camp since she spilled something on her clothes. It was pretty funny. I had company over when she walked in Smile

She doesn't enjoy stopping to change into her cover-up when the rest of the girls are just running straight to the activity as is.
I guess we'll just have to enforce it or suffer the consequences of more laundry. Smile

Notsobusy

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 9:05 pm

I was upset that my dd's day camp said they all have to wear a shirt in their team's color for tomorrow. Right now she's wearing whatever's clean, I'm not going to wash her one blue shirt during the nine days just because you wanted to do color war. Luckily we found a shirt with a little blue on it.

Your situation is much worse. You really should complain. The girls can either wear coverups, or keep one junk outfit at camp for the week to wear during water activities. The counselors should be in charge of making sure the wet stuff is hung to dry so they could wear it the next day.

amother

Babyblue

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 9:57 pm

I wonder if my daughters are in the same camp as yours.
They got a note before the 9 days started saying that there will be water activities every day and the should bring a change of clothes. I was so mad... I should have called but I didn't. I don't even get it, don't the directors also keep the halachos of 9 days? Do they not know that ppl refrain from laundry?

Today I sent a bathing suit and cover-up instead. She ended up wearing the cover-up over her underwear. I think there was no time to put on bathing suit. Lol. That's fine though. We've got enough underwear.

amother

Babyblue

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 10:00 pm

Also , theyr going on two trips this week and they need to wear the camp T-shirt for every trip. What am I supposed to do? She wore it for the first trip. It's so dirty. I hope they let her join the trip even without the camp shirt.

amother

Yellow

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 10:06 pm

I don't know the halacha .... but I have a load of kid laundry going now. I know it is permissible to wash small children's clothing but the truth is, my kids are not so small. No babies ..... but they are all under bar/bas mitzvah and they simply do not have enough clothing for the 9 days. This is my 2nd kids load so far. In the summer kids get so dirty, sweaty ...melted ice cream and ketchup stains. How can they wear anything more than once?? One kid has to be in camp on Mon. morning packed for an overnight trip. When should I wash his things?? At the moment he has one pair of ripped pants in his drawer, hence the laundry going now.

I would send kids in cover ups and socks in the morning and pack a fresh pair of clothing to change in to. It's summer .... people know your kids are in camp and wont look at you funny if your little girls are wearing cover ups!

amother

Brunette

Wed, Aug 10 2016, 10:41 pm

Lol. My daughter goes to the same day camp. She came home today minus her underwear. Just t-shirt, skirt and tights. She forgot to bring a change of underwear and it got all wet from the sprinkler.

Thank God she insists on wearing tights:)

Notsobusy

Thu, Aug 11 2016, 9:15 am

amother wrote:

I do laundry too, but this dd happens to have a lot of shirts, mostly hand me downs, so she doesn't need me to wash shirts for her. I'm not going to wash her shirt because that's what the camp decided.

water_bear88

Thu, Aug 11 2016, 9:30 am

causemommysaid wrote:

I always thought u can do laundry for children

Small children who are assumed to soil themselves often, yes.

Older children who should be able to manage with one set of clothing per day, not according to what I grew up with, though maybe your family holds differently. And I'm certainly not aware of a heter to wash an extra shirt when there are enough because a Jewish camp has decided from one day to the next that the kids need to wear a particular color!

amother

Aubergine

Thu, Aug 11 2016, 3:44 pm

OP, how old are the children you are talking about? I never heard of a frum daycamp having any water activities during the 9 days at all. The camps that I have sent to certainly dont. I can see it happening for kids age 5 and under, but not older than that...
I saw an ad for a tisha b'av camp for kids aged 3-7, offering swimming and sprinklers. ON tisha b'av! I never heard of that being okay....

mha3484

Thu, Aug 11 2016, 3:48 pm

My son's yeshivish day camp is do non swimming water activities all week. The grades are finishing Nursery, Pre1a and 1st Grade. Its been very hot here all summer I am happy they are playing in the sprinklers etc.

sky

Thu, Aug 11 2016, 4:02 pm

causemommysaid wrote:

I always thought u can do laundry for children

I do for under under six (six is still border line so would do if had to). Older then that only if they have accidents at night or other similar issues.

In some ways I'm *enjoying* the break from the endless laundry, but dreading the catching up today.
My 6 year old has been doing daily water activities, like sprinkler jump rope, cleaning cars, water fights etc. but they are wearing coverups during the activity. I'd find it annoying to have double the clothing 9 days or anytime.