at what age could your child be away from both parents for say a week? - Page 2

[One_Girl]

My DD started sleeping out overnight when she was five. She might go to camp this summer, she is currently nine. Her friend started going to camp when he was seven but he does a lot more overnights and is more independent than my DD. Some of the y camps are for older kids because of safety reasons, the activities they do require a higher level of maturity and lower level of impulsiveness than most young kids exhibit. Maybe this camp has the same reasons for its age requirements.

[Callimom]

My kids can all do grandparents (13, 10, 10 and 8) for close to a week. My oldest daughter (10) probably could do camp but because of medical reasons it's just not an option.   My 13 year old could do it but wouldn't - he's a homebody. He has never gone on a friend sleepover by choice. My other kids are not ready yet for a week away at a camp.

Sleepovers don't start for us until 8 or 9 typically (other than family ones).

[meemee]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife 

DD spent about 2 weeks at her cousins and grandmas 2 summers ago, and while she had a lot of fun and asks to do it again, by the first week she was calling me crying saying she missed everyone, yet, she would then insist on staying a few more days.  I think it was hard at night, as much as she was enjoying herself.  She missed her family and home. 

same here. at 6 dd took her first trip away from me with her dad. for ten days. when i asked her what her best thing and worst thing was - her best thing was coming home and seeing me, her worst thing was that she had to leave. poor kid. she had fun and yet at the same time missed me horribly. yet she didnt want to leave. 
 

[elizaveta]

This is a difficult question for me. I have to fight myself on my helicopter parenting. My daughter is 6 years old and she's never spent the night with anyone else. Last year I spent two nights with friends while at a cosmetology convention five hours away and she was with my dh the entire time, but I cried and it stressed me out (and all my friends who were parents thought I was the weirdest thing ) and I ended up hating it. I have separation issues from when I was young, I think, so that might contribute, but I'm very attached to her and protective. For instance, my best friend's sister in-law sent her son who wasn't even a year old FOR THE SUMMER to his grandparents over 2 hours away. She'd go and see him once a month or so on a Saturday. That to me is a horrifying idea. 

Summer camp is a good question. In Russia it's really popular and I know my daughter will go eventually. I'm hoping it'd be around the age of 10... but I guess it just depends on who, what, when and where and how my daughter is. 

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by meemee 

at what age would your children be able to part from you for a week?

how about just an overnight. at what age did they do sleepovers san parents. 

A week at camp?  Not until they're 11 years old, minimally.  Maybe I underestimate what my kids are capable of.  Perhaps I'm over-protective.  A week with the grandparents?  Sounds grand!  7 year old seems fine. Too bad my kids' grandparents aren't the type to do this, I'd love to ship them off for a week.

Our youngest was maybe 18 months old when we left him over night with the grandparents.
 

Originally Posted by elizaveta 

 For instance, my best friend's sister in-law sent her son who wasn't even a year old FOR THE SUMMER to his grandparents over 2 hours away. She'd go and see him once a month or so on a Saturday. That to me is a horrifying idea. 

That's...insane.  

[Adaline'sMama]

I went to girl scout camp for a week every year from 7-11. At 11, the camp was for 11-14 year olds and it became 10 days long. I never had a problem, short of the year I got stung by a bee and had to go the the ER and was scared because my parents werent there.

[mamazee]

My daughter just turned 10 and I think she'd be OK, though she'd probably get homesick at some point over the week. We've only been apart overnight so far. She's very social and she'd have so much fun I think she'd get over the homesickness pretty quickly and have a ball. For kids who are not so outgoing, maybe a bit older.