Camps can be "day camps" or "sleep-away camps."
In day camps, parents drop their children off at the camp each morning and take them home at the day's end.
When children attend sleep-away camps, parents give their children to a staff of camp counselors and camp directors, and the children will live at the camp for anywhere from one to eight weeks.
Uh oh, I hope that last line didn't scare parents away yet.
Clearly, the decision to send their child away for an extended period of time can be difficult. Trusting counselors to supervise parents' most precious possessions may seem like an expensive disaster waiting to happen. However, it's not.
Experience counts
Camp is an area in which I can confidently describe myself as an expert. Between eight years as a camper, two years as a counselor, and work on a sociology project about summer camps, I know a thing or two about these summer havens.
One specific worry parents often have is that their children will suffer from homesickness while away at camp. Rachel von Waldow, a camper for six years at Emma Kaufmann Camp, sought to alleviate those fears. The Upper St. Clair High School senior said.
"I was homesick at first, but that didn't last long. You become so immersed in life at the camp that you just forget about being homesick. Camp friends become part of your family and the camp becomes a home."
Finding friends
Friends becoming "family" was a common theme when former campers were asked about their experiences. Max Frischman, 15, from Mt. Lebanon, also attended Emma Kaufmann Camp. He agreed, "there is definitely a higher level of friendship at camp than usual."
The opportunity to make life-long friends is certainly a benefit of sleep-away camp. However, that specific asset is only the tip of an iceberg of wonderful experiences and lessons that are offered to campers. Here are four more reasons why parents should allow (and finance) their children to give sleep-away camp a chance.
n Befriending non-local children. While day-camps are usually just a congregation of local children, sleep-away camps attract children from many different regions.
Often children think that their attitudes and beliefs are the same throughout the country. Meeting different types of people, in both fellow campers and counselors, can give a child a more worldly perspective that many people often lack until college.
Frischman agreed, adding that meeting new people was one of his favorite parts of camp.
n Independence.
Children who attend sleep-away camp learn to look after themselves at a young age. While there are obviously counselors supervising, campers have responsibilities such as cleaning their living area, sorting their laundry, and taking care of their personal hygiene that at home they don't always have those responsibilities.
Jordan Kunz, a former camper at Camp Pinemere and Upper St. Clair High School freshman, said, "You get used to not having your parents around and learn self-responsibility. It's good practice for college."
n Opportunity to challenge oneself.
Taking a child out of his comfort zone is an opportunity to better him or her.
A child is given a fresh opportunity to be a leader, comedian, or even the hero in "the big game."
Personally, I was always much more extraverted in the camp environment then during the rest of the year.
Campers also challenge themselves at camps because it is a very goal-oriented environment. Often, camps have awards for qualities including athleticism, sportsmanship, behavior and leadership. Striving to earn these awards can prompt campers to grow in any or all of those areas.
n Learning to get along with others; life long social and people skills.
While children are exposed to many social situations in school and in extracurricular activities, living with peers creates unique situations.
One example from my experience is that children learn to not make "mountains out of molehills."
Living environments often create conflicts, but often the issue is petty. To avoid constant bickering, camp teaches children to desensitize themselves to insignificant issues and to live harmoniously with others.
If all those rewards of summer camp aren't enough, how about this- summer camp is really fun.
"I can not think of anyone who actually had a horrible time at camp," said von Waldow. "It seems almost impossible!"