how old for sleepaway camp?

[jeca]

My mother and I are at disagreement over this. I told my ds he could go to camp this year, it's only for a week and I think he is old enough, he's nine. My mother is having a fit. She says he's not old enough, they may " fool" with him, he'll get lost, the boys will pick on him, I mean everything. She never let us go either. I was in the ninth grade when I finally got to go away and spend a week in austria(we were in germany at the time). HE has been wanting to go for the last two years and all I have ever done was let him go to day camp. I think he is old enough now to go to a sleepaway camp. She thinks he needs to be at least 12. I know MDC mamas tend to keep their children but am I wrong in thinking he's old enough? WHat do you think?

[glendora]

I went at 10 for a week--with most of the fifth grade, and it was the Most Awesome Thing Ever!!

Heck, by 12 he may be too "cool" for camping!

[hottmama]

I started going at 7 or 8, and I loved it every summer! Many of my best childhood memories are from summer camp!
Nine is definitely old enough IMO. At 10 we started going for 3 weeks!

[1growingsprout]

Oh PHEWY on you mommy lol... if DS wants to go and is fine with it.. then SEND HIM... heck my 6 1/2 yr old is begging to go but most camps require age 7-8 to begin overnights..
Overnight camps are such fun... i wasnt allowed to go to summer camps but i was forced to go to girlscout camps (Which i Hated) go figure...

Tell DS to have a great time and tell you mom he will be fine...

[CarrieMF]

When I was in Brownies(age 6, 7, 8) we went on several camps one being at a lake in SK. For Brownies we were there for 3 nights I believe.

When I moved up to Guides(age 9, 10, 11) we went to the same camp but it was for 6 nights. It was never a problem for anyone.

[Isaac'sMa]

I agree with you. I hope your DS enjoys camp. When I was ten, I started going for three weeks every summer. I still have friends I met that first summer away. It was an invaluable experience and I'm grateful I got to go. If there are specific issues you worry about, discuss them beforehand with your DS.

[philomom]

I waited until they were ten. No homesickness, they had a great time.

[One Art]

I started going for a week when I was six, and I loved it and was never homesick... that being said though, other girls were homesick, so I think it's probaby a case by case situation at what age kids are ok being away that long....

[LoveBeads]

I was 8 and I went for a month.

And camp continues to be one of my favorite memories of childhood.

[babygirl24]

Sounds like he is ready to me!

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

We decided our 7 YO wasn't going to be ready this summer but I'm fully expecting to send him by a year from now. If he is self-sufficient about bedtime and hygene and wants to go, then I would say he's ready. Of course, this assumes that you have done your homework and made sure the camp is well run, well staffed and the supervision is appropriate for his age.

It sounds like your mother either had a bad experience as a child or knew someone who did and is projecting like made. Or is she generally a worrying type and this has just given her something to sink her teeth into? At any rate, its her problem, not yours. You know your child, I assume you know enough about the camp to be comfortable, so let her know you have taken her concerns into account but still feel its the right decision. If she brings her fears up in front of your child, shut her down quickly or he may decide he's scared and then you will have a self-fulfilling prophesy on your hands.

My mother has gotten so much more fearful and "conservative" in her approach to kids between when I was little and now that its really frustrating. She is forever worrying about something that I know we did as children. I think I must have said, "Mom, you are overeacting again" about 100 times last week when we all went on a skiing vacation together. So I know how it feels.

[onlyzombiecat]

You are his parent. If you think he is ready then go for it.

[lucyem]

Does your son have sleep overs at friends houses without issues? If so then I would not worry about it. I was a counselor at a camp with ages 6 - 14. There was a fair amount of homesickness at all ages. It really depends on the child.

[jeca]

He is going no matter what my mom thinks but she seemed to think I was being to lax about it so I wanted an outside opinion.

She let us wander around alot as a child but would never really let us go anywhere we actually wanted to go, go figure. And yes I know she is projecting as she was molested as a child.

[mamaduck]

Ours went when they felt ready. Oldest was 8, and younger son is planning to go this summer -- he'll be 7 -- for just 3 nights. The thing is though, we have a strong relationship with this camp and have been going on retreats there for 10 years. My Dh worked there during his summers as a teenager, and attended as a camper when he was a kid. We know the staff very well.

At this point, I would not consider a different camp -- but I suppose that if the question came up, I would make sure my kids felt ready, and I would visit the camp to observe and get to know the staff a little bit.