Sleepaway Camps Provide Special Experiences

By Rachel K., 7th Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation

Sleepaway camps are extremely popular for children from the Baltimore area. For some families, it is even a tradition for parents to send their children to the same camps they attended. It is a rite of passage.

Along with having fun, children learn many lessons and skills, including how to be more independent. For many campers, it is the first time they have to rely on themselves and others, rather than their parents. Children also form strong and often lifetime relationships with their fellow campers and counselors.

For some parents it is not a question of iftheir children will go to sleepaway camp, but rather a question of when. For others, the decision is a little tougher. Will they have fun? Are they going to be homesick? It also depends on the child. Does he feel comfortable sleeping away from home for so long? Can she handle being without her parents all summer? Does the child easily get along with others?

Sleepaway camp offers an important opportunity for children to step out of their comfort zones and grow as individuals. Liz Minkin Friedman, Director of Development and Strategic Advancement at Krieger Schechter Day School and a parent of two current campers and one counselor, says, “I think camp teaches children to feel competent in their ability to make new friends and to try on new identities. …I think it is a really important developmental tool to help our kids grow up to be the people they are today.”

Noa R., a seventh-grade student at KSDS and current camper at Camp Ramah in New England, says, “It’s fun to be a part of a camp community and also it’s just a way to learn what it’s like to be an independent person. You are on own instead of having to rely on your parents or your siblings. It’s nice to have that sense of independence.”

It is especially important for parents who went to overnight camp to send their children away. It also makes the idea of sending them away easier, if they had the experience and understand just how special it is. Minkin Friedman says, “It’s not hard to send them away because I’m so happy for them. I grew up attending a camp, and I know the beauty of camp. I think that if you haven’t gone to camp, you think it’s mean to send them away for so long. But if you were a camper yourself and you understand the value of camp, you know that you’re giving them the greatest gift. You’re happy for them, but sad for yourself.”

Much of the time, sleepaway campers have two sets of friends. They have their home friends, and they have their camp friends. Some parents prefer to send their children to camps farther away from home, so they can make new friends instead of going with people they know. Others send their kids to camps that are a little closer to home or camps that many of their school friends attend. Minkin Friedman says, “I was attracted to Maine because Maine attracts people from all over the country. I wanted to diversify [my son’s] exposure.”

Noa said, “I like that it’s completely different people than whom I see during the year. Even though I keep in touch with them and I’ll see them a couple of times throughout the year, it is still special when I see them [in the summer]. I have my school friends, I have my out of school friends, and then I also have my camp friends, which is super special.”

Adds Minkin Friedman: “There are so many times that a camp friendship resurfaces in my life. It could be when I started college, moved to a new city, or started a new job. Each time, I would be amazed at how small a world it is that [old camp friends], too, lived there. I was thrilled at rediscovering and reconnecting with these old friends. It was as if time had stood still, and we were right back in our camp bunk giggling.”

Sleepaway camp is an important experience of growth and friendship for children around the country. Not only do campers learn independence, but they forge friendships that will last a lifetime.