com-brparents-2017-67.html
0217 FEBRUARY
68 / 96
consider communication finding a
camp
with open communication can help you to feel more comfortable with your child being
away
. most
camp
s allow emails, letters from home, and care packages, and some even post daily newsletters and photos. local mom blair purgerson
says
that it?s always nice to receive letters from the counselors, but the thing she looked forward to most were the pictures on- line. purgerson
says
, ?most
camp
s offer a secure site where you can login to view daily pictures from the
camp
ground. i love scrolling through the pictures of their activities each day, and getting excited when i find one of my daughter. it helps me to see what she is doing and know that she is having fun.? a little communication preparation beforehand can also give both you and your child peace of mind about going
away
. an- other local mom paula dawson wrote a letter for each night that her son would be gone, and placed them in an envelope labeled with the day of the week. ?it was fun for him because through the letters, he felt a constant connection with us, and we felt confident he knew we were thinking of him on a daily basis,? dawson
says
. when making the decision to send a child
away
to
camp
for the first time, it?s natural for parents to feel anxious. some parents feel uncomfortable with their child spending the night at a friend?s house, so the thought of sending them
away
to
camp
might be intimidating. however, parents who have sent their children to
camp
would argue that the ben- efits far outweigh the con- cerns. abadie
says
, ?summer
camp
provided my children the opportunity to break out of their normal routine and broaden their horizons
away
from the temptation of tech- nology, developing leadership skills, and lifelong friends.? many
camp
moms simply want their children to devel- op their own set of treasured memories to cherish as they have. purgerson
says
, ?
camp
was a second home to me, and if our goal in raising chil- dren is to prepare them for life and to help them be func- tioning, independent, mem- bers of society, then this is a great step.? margaret lee, owner of
camp
fern, seconds this notion by quoting hodding cart- er, ??ere are only two last- ing gifts we can hope to give our children. one of these is roots; the other, wings.? with a little preparation, you can send your child
away
to
camp
feeling just as excited as they are when they soar! ? 68 brparents.com | february 2017
camp-com-brparents-69.html