Sleepaway Camp: Crazy or Great?
Many of my son's American friends are returning from sleep-away camp. His Finnish friends hardly did a day camp. Which is a better summer - for kids, and parents?
Hi friends!
On Instagram, I asked what you think of all-summer long sleep-away camp: is it the best or craziest thing ever—and if it’s the standard choice for American parents—and how Nordic parents can handle their kids being home all summer long.
Parents on both continents claim their choice allows kids to develop independence, play with friends and recharge—but what would you do? Read responses from parents from US and Finland, Sweden, South Africa and Dubai, and add yours in the comments!
US:
Finland:
UK:
…and can kids be independent there without camps?
Dubai:
ps that’s my “handwriting” so I would remember it’s Dubai!
Is 7 weeks of sleepaway camp crazy or best thing ever?
Finnish translation: “sounds like bringing up children is outsourced even on summer vacation.”
If you are a Nordic parent, don’t kids drive you crazy if they are home all summer?
”endless practice in patience”
enmdIs the price tag of sleep-away camp (could be $15,000 per kid) worth it?
”insane prices!”
Now, what do you think? Is sleep-away camp, sending kids 9 and up away most of summer the craziest or best thing ever, or is keeping them home (and in nearby playgrounds) totally unrealistic and ideal for recharging? What do kids—and parents—really need?
PS. You had so many comments, I couldn’t add my story about what I ended up doing in the US, when we got back from Finland, and what I’ll do next summer, after hearing from all of you—and my kids. Make sure you subscribe for free now, so you get that story next week and we can continue chatting!
x Annabella
PS. If you related to any parent’s comment, tap the like button below!
I grew up going to sleep away camp and plan to send my son next summer for 2 weeks - he'll be 10. I intentionally chose a camp with NO set schedule or agenda - they choose what they want to do all day so if it's 7 hours in the woodshop, so be it. I want to send them because their lives here are SO structured and controlled and I think sleep away camp provides the opposite experience (if you choose the right one!) I also think letting them meet more new people from different places helps grow a diverse and interesting friend group. But I can never imagine sending them for more than 5 weeks max (that's the longest I went until I was in high school). I think this all really depends on where you live and what you expect out of a summer. I see sleep away camp as providing more independence and autonomy that day camps.
I think it's easy to romanticize the 'come home when the street lights' era of time, and it is certainly more akin to how I grew up. However, unlike Helsinki, most major US cities are no longer places where parents feel comfortable allowing their 8-12 year olds to be alone for an entire day, even though the public transportation structure exists to allow that. Personally I wouldn't let my kids ride the NYC subway alone (even though I know many older kids do just that in NYC). I think a city like Helsinki provides a unique opportunity where kids don't need to rely on parents for transportation but parents feel they are in a 'safe place.' I feel we live in a very safe town, but my kids can't get around to everywhere they want to go without a car - hence, the need for some structure, otherwise parents feel like they're just a summer chauffeur.