Kid being only religious kid in a short camp?

amother

Sapphire

Thu, Jun 22 2017, 4:43 pm

My daughter is 4.5. My work place is running a ridiculously cheap camp for the last few weeks of the summer after regular camps end and before school starts.

All the people sending their kids are not religious, and the staff most likely won't be either. We are in Israel, and I know that the food will be kosher, and the camp will just be games and crafts etc, no anti-religious content or anything. The kids are aged 2.5 - 6.

We are chardal - which is quite religious - our daughter wears only skirts, she doesn't watch movies or television, etc. I am really debating what to do here. It would be very cheap (any other option would cost 5-10x more) and convenient. But it might be difficult for her to be the 'different' kid - the only one in a skirt, the only one who makes brachot, etc.; especially when the other kids don't have to do these things. There is also the issue of her being exposed to things we wouldn't necessarily expose her to (probably more from the other kids than from the staff). She is very young, and might not be old enough to really get the whole 'we do some things and other people don't".

What would you do?

Jalapeño

Thu, Jun 22 2017, 5:57 pm

I was that child for a couple summers, back in the day. Except I was in America where the camp food was not kosher, and so I came with my own lunch as well.
I was a bit older (6 or 7), but I remember just having a good time. I think the fact that it was in America though (and therefore more ethnically diverse) made it easier.

Everyone came from a different home and did things differently and so my packed lunches and brachos were part of that. Plus I think it was good character development for having to explain what I was doing to curious friends (although again being older made that more possible).

In Israel it might be harder depending on how secular/anti-religious the other childrens' families are.
But I also don't think 4 year olds are that likely to talk extensively about TV shows or the like, although I could be very off base here.

Ultimately I think it depends on how comfortable you think your dd would be having to be different. Growing up in chul around non-Jews, less and more religious Jews, etc I had to learn very early that not everyone acts a certain way, and that that's ok. I think it made me more comfortable with who I was, although you will have to be ready to have challenging conversations.

Basically I would do it, especially if it's so cheap, but be prepared to talk with dd before and after her days to make sure she's doing ok with being herself.

seeker

Thu, Jun 22 2017, 9:01 pm

I don't know about the specifics of your situation but as long as the content of the camp itself is appropriate, I wouldn't worry. 4.5 is young. I have worked in places that are culturally very different from where I send my kids, and at 4.5 you really can't tell much difference between the kids at all - and the kids certainly can't.