Missing Home...before you've dropped them off?
“Homesickness" (or more accurately missing home) is normal for people of all ages. Nearly everyone misses something about home when they’re away….the vast majority of children have a great time at camp and are not bothered by mild homesickness.
We want your child (and you) to be as prepared as possible for their camp session. Below you will find a list of good ideas to help with that preparation and a couple of things to avoid. There is also information about how we handle missing home at camp along with when you should contact us and when we will contact you.
Please do:
How We Handle Missing Home
Our counselors know positive ways for handling campers who are missing home. They will do the following things to help your child work through the normal adjustment period of being away from home:
1. Give your child time and attention. Talk to them about their feelings and let them know they are normal.
2. Do things to make camp more “homey” for them, such as read them a bedtime story, tuck them in, pray for them, and love them.
When to contact camp:
If you receive a sad letter from your child, call us so we can observe your child more closely and talk with his/her counselor. We will call you back with detailed information about your child’s attitude and behavior. Our staff are in camp with your children throughout the day and will call you back within 24 hours.
When we will contact you:
If your child is visibly upset (crying frequently, not participating, having trouble eating or sleeping) and not adjusting to camp after two full camp days, we will call you to let you know what is happening and discuss a plan for helping your child adjust. We do not typically see this type of behavior from our campers.
Without the option of going home, most campers adjust to camp within a short period (24-36 hours). Campers who overcome strong feelings of missing home and successfully complete their camp stay have an incredible sense of accomplishment and independence. Parents, family members, and teachers are always amazed at the impact that this type of accomplishment can have throughout a child or teen's life -- for example, in family relationships and behavior; school, activity, and church participation; and leadership skills.
We want your child (and you) to be as prepared as possible for their camp session. Below you will find a list of good ideas to help with that preparation and a couple of things to avoid. There is also information about how we handle missing home at camp along with when you should contact us and when we will contact you.
Please do:
- Focus on how much fun camp will be.
- Visit the site. We cannot stress enough the importance of a first time camper (child or teen) seeing where they will stay.
- Encourage them to write letters and postcards telling about their new friends and the many activities they’re doing at camp.
- Write encouraging, cheerful letters to your child. Camp is one of the last places where parents and children have the opportunity to stay in touch via hand-written letters. If you're worried about delivery time, etc., please drop off mail for your child with Tink (our Program Director) or at Check-in and we will mix it in with the other mail being delivered starting on Monday or Tuesday.
How We Handle Missing Home
Our counselors know positive ways for handling campers who are missing home. They will do the following things to help your child work through the normal adjustment period of being away from home:
1. Give your child time and attention. Talk to them about their feelings and let them know they are normal.
2. Do things to make camp more “homey” for them, such as read them a bedtime story, tuck them in, pray for them, and love them.
When to contact camp:
If you receive a sad letter from your child, call us so we can observe your child more closely and talk with his/her counselor. We will call you back with detailed information about your child’s attitude and behavior. Our staff are in camp with your children throughout the day and will call you back within 24 hours.
When we will contact you:
If your child is visibly upset (crying frequently, not participating, having trouble eating or sleeping) and not adjusting to camp after two full camp days, we will call you to let you know what is happening and discuss a plan for helping your child adjust. We do not typically see this type of behavior from our campers.
Without the option of going home, most campers adjust to camp within a short period (24-36 hours). Campers who overcome strong feelings of missing home and successfully complete their camp stay have an incredible sense of accomplishment and independence. Parents, family members, and teachers are always amazed at the impact that this type of accomplishment can have throughout a child or teen's life -- for example, in family relationships and behavior; school, activity, and church participation; and leadership skills.