Everyone at Tips on Trips and Camps thinks you’re doing a great job parenting through these crazy times. We thought you needed to hear that today. We’re all parents too, and we know how not having any control over how the future looks or feels for our children (or ourselves) is a challenging place to live. As summer program advisors, we are feeling hopeful about sending kids off on their adventures next summer. Every day we hear from our directors about their plans for a safe and fun summer 2021. While next summer may still look different than pre-COVID days, every sleepaway camp and teen program is working hard to create pandemic-proof plans for your children. Please let us know if you want to indulge in some escapist summer planning – we’re ready to chat whenever you feel ready.
Riding the Coronacoaster
Have you seen the meme defining a “coronacoaster” – the ups and downs of living in a pandemic? I don’t know about you, but that perfectly captures me and my wildly shifting emotions. Interestingly I’m finding my kids are more even keel than I am. They’re teenagers, and like everyone’s children, they had to abandon their spring and summer plans. I’ve found them to be resilient, creative, and accepting in the faces of the losses they have sustained. As we head towards the fall, and all the uncertainty that brings, they are saying they will be OK no matter what. While a lot of their reactions have to do with their personalities, I can also see that the lessons learned at sleepaway camps and teen programs helped prepare them for this tough time. They are making the best of what the world has to offer and still having fun. They’ve found new ways to meet their goals, follow their interests, and enjoy the summer, all while staying safe. I can connect all the ways they’ve managed during the pandemic to things that a child may navigate away at camp or on a teen trip. The coronacoaster is not my cup of tea, but as it’s the only attraction open this summer, I’m going to do my best to notice the best parts of the ride.
Grieving for Summer
The camp and summer program cancellations are coming in fast these days, and we know there are many disappointed and grieving kids and families. Whether it was to be a child’s first summer away or they are a seasoned camper, it’s hard to let go of summer plans amid so many other changes in our lives. Here’s some advice we’ve gathered:
- Expect that you and your children will go through a range of emotions in the days and weeks ahead. Tell your kids (and remind yourself) that grief comes and goes, and you might all have sad days throughout the summer and beyond. You can also let them know that you’ll all also have happy days and fun moments even while feeling sad about camp.
- Recognize the stress that you may feel as a result of your child’s lack of summer plans. Take as many breaths as you need until you can find a way to move forward. There are still some options for kids. We can help you explore if any of the available programs are a good fit.
- Encourage your child to express their feelings and memories about camp. Talking, journaling, Zooming, singing and dancing, doing camp arts and crafts, building a campfire, or whatever feels right, are all ways for kids to access their emotions. Kids of all ages can benefit from having their feelings named, so parents can help their kids by identifying what they may be experiencing.
- It may be reassuring to talk about how staying home is helping all their dear camp friends and counselors remain safe.
- Start making plans for summer 2021! Camp and program directors are already hard at work on next summer, and they are counting the minutes until they are back with your children.
We are right there with your family grieving the loss of all those future memories, experiences, and friendships. We are here to support you – please let us know if we can help.
COVID 19 – WE ARE ALL FIRST TIMERS
It dawned on me today that the way we are all facing the challenges of COVID-19 is very similar to what we ask our children to do on overnight summer experiences.
We ask them to:
- Go into the unknown
- Listen to the people in charge
- Ask for help if needed
- Advocate and negotiate for themselves.
- Have fun in a setting that is very different from what they are used to
Just like when we put them on the bus to summer camp or the plane to a teen trip, we can remind them now (and ourselves) of their resilience and skills to cope with tough days. We all have inner resources to call on through the coming weeks, and just like attending a summer program, it will be an opportunity for personal growth for us all. The Tips Team is hoping all your challenges are met with optimism, good humor, and health.
LGBTQ? Summer is for everyone!
As summer advisers we pride ourselves in the recommendations we make so that every child can have a wonderful summer experience.
Increasingly, we are hearing from parents of LGBTQ kids. This may include transgender and gender non-conforming children of any age. They call us searching for an overnight camp or summer teen experience where their child will feel at home. As advisers on summer programs, we are witnessing a shift in the mindset and the narrative in our industry as these numbers are rising. Camps are faced with decisions about where to bunk kids and teen trips grapple with which tent does a camper get assigned. The wonderful aspect of these challenges, the summer programs tell us, is that campers are universally accepting and don’t struggle the way their parents or summer program directors do. We watch as summer camps and teen experiences find creative ways to work this through. There are camps for LGBTQ kids. At some the issues are addressed specifically, others are simply a caring and embracing community where all campers are welcome. The latter might be a good camp for trans kids or non-binary kids as well. An arts camp this summer will have a non-gender specific cabin that will embrace all gender expressions.
At Tips on Trips and Camps we have ongoing discussions about these topics so we can help lead as the industry navigates this ever-changing landscape. Interesting times!
Good Advice
My 17 year old inspires me every day. His mantra is one I have now adopted. So much that for my last birthday he bought me a vase that has “You Got This” imprinted on it.
When I reflect back on 7th grade, it reminds me just how far we’ve come. At that time he was riddled with anxiety and depression. We pulled in as many resources as we could to make his world right again. We spoke with therapists and took the advice of experts to find classes, communities and even a new school to help guide him on the right path.
I’m so proud of my son and the work he has done to find his happy place. I’m so grateful we found people that we relied on and trusted to navigate troubled waters.
It makes me realize even more how important my own role is in the life of clients that I help. Finding the right overnight camp or teen program is so valuable in the trajectory of a child or teen’s formative years. Whether it be a social struggle in their environment or the desire to find a specific niche outside their community, I do my best to really listen. And I find it so rewarding to get it right!
How summertime can help you achieve all your parenting goals.
As a summer camp and program advisor, I am constantly being asked whether a specific program will look good on a teen’s resume, or if a specific camp will improve their camper’s athletic or artistic skills. As a parent of 3 teens, I am beginning to realize that these manipulated experiences are only part of the picture. Let’s take a step back and really think about what we want for our children – health, happiness and success. As parents we put so much pressure on ourselves to help our children achieve all these goals. When I think back to my children’s path to happiness and success, I have to admit, I didn’t do it alone. I probably didn’t do most of it – camp did! Camp gives my children the chance to be independent, problem solve, form true personal relationships and all these things create happiness and I hope down the road, success. Don’t believe me? Read this article with quotes from Steve Jobs, head staff at Harvard and MIT, as well as well known authors:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2016/05/09/can-sleep-away-camp-give-kids-a-competitive-advantage-in-life/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a44dcc820e69
One Stop Shop for Summer, Come to a Camp Fair
Camp fairs continue to be a valuable resource for families as they research summer overnight camps, tween activities and teen trips and programs for their children. Attending one will help kids and parents learn about the wide variety of summer options for students ages 7-18+. There will be some you may not have thought to consider! Here is a blog Barb Levison wrote a few years ago that outlines the reasons why camp fairs are still worth visiting. https://www.tipsontripsandcamps.com/blog/looking-sleepaway-camp-come-camp-fair/
To find a fair near you click on this link: https://www.tipsontripsandcamps.com/summer-advice/local-camp-fairs/
Camp Offers the Keys to a Joyful Life
We’ve all heard about encouraging our kids to find their passion, but it’s often connected to college admissions, or a future career, or some other measurable goal. A recent New York Times article offered a different view by showing how following a passion can contribute positively to self-care. A productivity expert quoted in the article said, “there’s moments where time almost has no meaning because we’re so happy about what we’re doing. The more time you can spend in that zone, the better life feels.” While the expert was not speaking about sleepaway camp, there’s no truer way to describe the experience kids often have while away at camp. In addition to exposure to new people, situations, and activities, camp offers children long stretches of time to try-on and develop passions. The activity doesn’t matter – it’s the joy in the discovery. And being immersed in an enjoyable activity adds up to a lot of good self-care. The idea that engagement = self-care is an important one to consider as we parent our children.
Self-care is all about the choices we make for our schedules. By sending our kids to sleepaway camp, we are offering them a safe space to figure out what they enjoy, and what matters to them. And we are giving them a chance to learn how to cultivate a passion, which is not a skill everyone has. Learning to try, fail, and try again are the skills we need to encourage to help children grow into adults who aren’t afraid to seek out new things on the road to finding their passion. Just by feeling confident that they can attempt new things will provide our children with a more joyful approach to life. While we can’t guarantee that our children will enter adulthood with a lifelong passion, we can do our best to give them the skills to find one.
Been there, done that!
What comes after sleepaway camp?
When your teen ages out of their camp or decides they are ready for a change, you, being the awesome parent that you are, will suddenly have to gear up for summer planning again. The good news is that you already know who to call for help! There are great options no matter your child’s interest or schedule. Teen-only sleep-away camps, travel to places near and far, service projects in deserving countries, language immersion, and pre-college exploration are some of the ways your teen can spend their summers.
Here’s just a taste of the teen summer programs offered for 2019:
- For the shutterbug: two weeks studying photography in Cuba wherein you’ll become adept with the best variable nd filter.
- For the animal lover: elephant conservation in Thailand
- For the scientist: three weeks of marine biology in the Caribbean
- For the CSI enthusiast: hands-on crime scene investigation studies on a college campus
- For the gamer: two weeks honing their e-sports competitive skills
- For the service-minded: helping post-hurricane clean-up efforts in Puerto Rico
- For the chef: farm to table adventures in Italy
- For the artist: three weeks dedicated to art on an Irish farm
Tips on Trips and Camps advisors will guide you through the many program types, and help you, and your teen, find the best choices for their post-camp summers.