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48 brparents.com | march 2016 buddy benefits for some
new
camp
ers, tak- ing a
friend
along can help re- duce their anxiety and make them more comfortable while at
camp
. having a
friend
at
camp
can often help with feelings of homesickness, too. ?it was my first time away from home for a week and at one point i did want to go home. having my
friend
there helped me be- cause it was like having a piece of home with me,? says olivia. at the risk of stating the obvi- ous: if your child is going with a
friend
, you?ll need to coordi- nate with them on which
camp
to choose. flying solo for
camp
ers looking to take on their
camp
experience alone, the american
camp
associa- tion (aca) encourages par- ents to do their research when choosing a
camp
for their child. a
camp
that may be good for your child?s
friend
may not be good for your child.
camp
s are great for children to make
new
friend
s, develop
new
hobbies, and grow emo- tionally. socialization is one of the core benefits of a summer
camp
. parents shouldn?t worry whether or not their children will make
new
friend
s or enjoy themselves while at
camp
. if the
camp
is aware that the
new
camp
er is coming to
camp
alone, they will never be alone.
camp
staff plays a major role in making sure that
camp
ers es- tablish relationships. they will assign a buddy for various ac- tivities such as bus rides and bed assignments.
camp
coun- sellors are attentive to how individuals are blending into groups and will make sure no
new
camp
er is relegated to a corner or isolated. according to the aca, 96 per- cent of
camp
ers who went solo say that
camp
helped them make
new
friend
s. even better, 75 percent of parents say their child remains in contact with those
friend
s. the bottom line? determining whether or not your child should attend
camp
with a
friend
comes down to your child and his or her circum- stances. you might think your child will benefit from taking a break from the usual
friend
s; then again, you might discuss things with your child and feel that them taking a
friend
along is a bonus. it?s important to dis- cuss with them what they are looking for in a
camp
, how they feel about going to
camp
, and if they even want to attend
camp
with a
friend
. there isn?t a right or wrong an- swer to ?to take a
friend
or not to take a
friend
.?
new
experi- ences,
new
friend
s, strength- ening
friend
ships they already have...it?s all good. memories that last a lifetime are what?s a no-brainer guarantee. ? by rachel slaughter as 14-year-old trenton packed for football
camp
, he began to worry about his baggage. not his cleats, helmet, and shoulder pads, but instead, his
friend
s from home. trenton was ready for
new
experi- ences, and he didn?t want to see the same faces all summer. ?i didn?t want them to come with me. i wanted to be on my own. in- dependent. when i was at
camp
, we did everything together. and when i returned home, it felt like i had never left,? says trenton. another
camp
er, olivia, recalls thriving while at
camp
with her
friend
s. ?i felt better having
friend
s at
camp
with me. we tried
new
things together and made
new
friend
s together. i liked always having someone to talk to.? parents often contemplate whether or not they should send their children to
camp
with
friend
s. while going to
camp
with a
friend
is beneficial for many
camp
ers, there can also be a downside. the
friend
question pros and cons of sending your kids to
camp
with
friend
s
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