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Homesickness Dos & Don’ts

Resources/Related Messages for an Anxious Camper 10 Messages for a Homesick Camper Ep. 37: Tips for First-Time Camp Parents Ep. 39: How to Handle Your Camper’s Homesickness Ep. 10: Homesick & Happy with Michael Thompson Homesick & Happy: How Time Away From Parents Can Help a Child Grow, Michael Thompson Homesickness Do’s & Don’ts Do… 1.…

Ep. 10: Homesick and Happy with Michael Thompson, Ph.D.

In Episode 10 of the podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorite parenting and camp experts, best-selling author Michael Thompson, Ph.D. For more than three decades, Thompson has been a clinical psychologist, school and camp consultant, and international speaker on the subjects of children, schools, and parenting. Throughout my career as…

Secondary Homesickness: When Your Camper doesn’t want to go BACK to Camp

“I don’t want to go back!” Two or three times each year, I get a call from a returning camper’s parent who is baffled that their once-happy camper is now saying she doesn’t want to return to camp. From what the parent saw and heard last summer, camp was a great experience. So why is…

Should I Make my Kid go to Camp?

I get asked this question frequently, so I’ve created a grid to help you make the decision. Just see what box you and your child fall in, the grid will tell you “yes,” or “no,” and your camp decision is made. Simple as that! Okay, it’s really not that simple. For some families, the camp…

What’s the Best Age for Camp?

You probably want a number here. If you’re only going to read these first two sentences, then I’ll pick the age of nine. But my real answer is a bit more complex. When to start sending your child to sleep-away camp is a decision that depends on you, your parenting style, and your child’s temperament.…

Five Reasons Great Parents Send Their Kids to Camp

My shy, quiet nine-year-old went to camp not knowing a soul. Two weeks later, she came home transformed. She blossomed. She made friends, learned a multitude of activities, felt safe, loved, confident, and happy — really, really happy. As hard as it was on me, it was all worth it for her. It was the single…

Messages for an Anxious Camper

Check out more Summer Camp videos. “Children want to be independent, and they realize that they cannot be truly independent until they beat homesickness, even when they have a painful case of it.” –Michael Thompson, PhD., Homesick and Happy Messages for a Hesitant Camper Recently I spoke with a mom whose 11-year-old son is coming to…

Homesickness Help

Homesickness is an emotion that most campers feel to some degree at camp. Fortunately, in most cases, the fun and excitement of camp far outweigh any sad feelings. If this is your child’s first experience away from you for a significant period of time, we encourage you to read through the following recommendations. Homesickness Dos…