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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling
Son went to camp yesterday



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Tila




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 26 2007, 10:03 am
I delivered my son to camp yesterday. It is the first time he went to a sleep away camp. I am so worried. The bunk was a pig sty, and the counsellor seemed like he needed a mommy. Since my son arrieved late, he had slim pickins as to cubby space, and a bed to sleep on. Regaurdless of all of this, he was happy to be there. I am worried that he will eat at the canteen only (fries and pizza) even if we gave the minimal amount. And that kids will steal from him (even if it is a hassish camp). I also feel he will be indiscriminatory as to how often to wear his clothes (run out of them before laudry day), and drink all his H20 or waste it. will he brush, shower, etc. Am I a worry wort? what are your experiances with sending a boy to sleep away camp?? my son is just 11.
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myfriends715




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 26 2007, 10:29 am
all of that learning is part of the experience.. he will learn how to manage with the clothes he has and eat what is served.. my first yr in cam (I was turning 10) I showered but never bothered to brush my hair.. after like 3 weeks it was visiting day and lets just put it this way after having to brush out long har after 3 weeks I never made that mistake again... sleepaway camp is great they learn independance.. they make mistakes and learn from them.. try to take a deep breath adn relax all will be well.. and its only for a couple of weeks
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Mimisinger




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 26 2007, 10:33 am
Your son will be fine. Camp is camp. He will grow and mature and when you pick him up he will be a head taller. Btw, being dirty and messy and eating junk is what camp is all about! Give him extra helpings of brussel sprouts when he gets home.
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rosehill




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 26 2007, 11:27 am
My 11 year old returned yesterday from his first time at camp. He is a quiet, introverted, disorganised kid. I had been so nervous for him. But you know what? He did great!!!
He made friends with kids from all over, he developed his confidence, he learned, he grew, it was a fabulous experience for him. His trunk hasn't arrived home yet, so we'll see how much stuff he lost, but he assures me he has everything.
Yes, when he arrived home, I had to cut his nails, made him take long shower with shampoo, brush his teeth for 10 minutes before I could bear to smell him (!), but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. So what if he wore the same tzitzis every day for a month embarrassed
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TzenaRena




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 26 2007, 2:38 pm
Quote:
I also feel he will be indiscriminatory as to how often to wear his clothes (run out of them before laudry day),
My ten year old is coming home today iy"h! I can't wait to see him, they didnt have visiting day last month. And he told me he lost his sock bag so he was afraid to wash his socks, so he shouldn't lose them all (not labeled, only the bag was )! he "only" had ten pairs, so I wonder what he did!
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chen




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 27 2007, 8:44 am
He'll be fine. Boys rarely care what their living quarters look like, and wearing the same pair of underpants for a month never killed anyone (only their roommates, LOL!) Running around in the fresh air creates big appetites, and camp serves three meals a day. Even if your son hates the food he's bound to eat some of it some time. If he runs out of bottled water--guess what? there's running water at camp. There's a reason why they call it a camp and not a hotel--the kids are supposed to rough it.

chances are he will forget to brush his teeth at least sometimes, but even a month without brushing will not kill him. health is based upon what you do most of the time, not what you do on any given day or week. Could he get a cavity from eating nothing but snacks for a month and not brushing? Probably, but that's not a good reason not to send a child to camp. When his breath gets too offensive, his bunkmates or his counselor will force him to brush sooner rather than later.

And they have mandatory showers. A kid can get away without showering for a day or three, maybe, depending on the counselor, but for shabbos everyone has to shower and change into clean clothes. Even if he doesn't shower, he'll be clean enough if he goes swimming.

In life, we don't always get the best bunk; sometimes we even get the worst one, with the lumpiest mattress and the rustiest springs. Summer camp is a great place to learn this and to learn how to deal with it.

Relax. Your son will have a great time and will come back tanned, dirty, happy and maybe even a little bit more mature than he was when he left.
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raizy




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jul 28 2007, 10:54 pm
beatyful chen u said it all!!!!
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