How often does your teenager call home from camp?

amother

Blush

Sun, Aug 05 2018, 7:53 pm

I don't get this at all.

When I went to camp 20 something years ago we didn't call home ever. Obviously there weren't cell phones, but the only way we would possibly be allowed to call home from the office was if there was a serious issue. We wrote letters, if we even bothered to write. Our parents knew that if we didn't write it was because we were having too much fun to bother.

I sent my 10 year old to camp this summer for the first time. She was gone for a month and we got 3 letters. At least nowadays the camps post pictures so us parents can try to get a glimpse of our children to see if they look like they're ok. We saw her on visiting day and otherwise it was basically radio silence. She went to camp, she came home happy and in one piece and only lost a few small things. She made some new friends, gained some independence, and has a newfound appreciation for a clean home and homecooked food. So all in all, camp was a success.

Edited to correct autocorrect.

amother

Denim

Sun, Aug 05 2018, 8:16 pm

amother wrote:

I don't get this at all.

When I went to camp 20 something years ago we didn't call home ever. Obviously there weren't cell phones, but the only way we would possibly be allowed to call home from the office was if there was a serious issue. We wrote letters, if we even bothered to write. Our part knew that if we didn't write it was because we were having too much fun to bother.

I sent my 10 year old to camp this summer for the first time. She was gone for a month and we got 3 letters. At least nowadays the camps post pictures so us parents can try to get a glimpse of our children to see if they look like they're ok. We saw her on visiting day and otherwise it was basically radio silence. She went to camp, she came home happy and in one piece and only lost a few small things. She made some new friends, gained some independence, and has a newfound appreciation for a clean home and homecooked food. So all in all, camp was a success.

I don't get it either. We had a 2 minute slot once a week to call - and if no one answered that was that till the next week.

One of the important parts of camp is the disconnect and distance. That can't be accomplished with constant contact, phone calls, video chats, and even the endless pictures.

nicole81

Mon, Aug 06 2018, 3:19 pm

My thirteen year old dd has been in camp since June and I've heard from her 3 times to wish me a good shabbos. I think the third time was only because I sent her a guilt tripping email after not hearing from her two weeks in a row!

Our thirteen year old boy is only away for one session and he has called every Friday so far.

My twelve year old girl goes to a camp with a no calling rule. She actually told me on visiting day that the Friday before she was overwhelmed, melting down, was begging to call me, and wanted to come home. In the end the camp mom spent time with her and talked her down and dd told me she was so glad she gave it another shot, that she was just having a bad day. Who knows how calling home would have changed that dynamic... I actually like the rule and I very much trust the staff at this particular camp especially.

Simple1

Mon, Aug 06 2018, 3:29 pm

My girls never called. I call them.

With all the attention on abuse in camp recently, I think it just seems safer to allow calls home, if just to allow for more transparency, so to speak. Or maybe a mother's intuition can detect if something is off with her child.

shabbatiscoming

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 1:16 am

Im with the poster above who says she doesnt get it. I also dont. I went to sleep away camp a long time ago, about 30 years ago, but still, isnt the point of sleep away camp to be AWAY from family? There was no option to call home. If something gd forbid was actually wrong, the camp would have called our parents. But just to talk? Unheard of.
For those who are saying their kids are calling multiple times during the day, is that with a cell phone? Or in the office.
Sorry, I dont get it either.