Few things in life are more awesome than summer camp (ok, perhaps I’m a bit biased). Your son’s time at Camp Mowglis has the potential to substantially impact his life in remarkably positive ways. In addition to making lifelong friends and getting to do “cool stuff,” he’ll learn more about who he is. He’ll grow in his ability to communicate thoughts and ideas. He’ll learn how to be aware of and respond to others’ needs, more than just his own. He’ll become more attuned to the rhythm of the wild. Perhaps these are the reasons why you’re sending your son to camp. 

Si bien asistir a un campamento de verano puede ser una experiencia verdaderamente extraordinaria, es muy probable que su hijo experimente nostalgia. La nostalgia es extremadamente común. Las investigaciones en esta área sugieren que más del 80% de los niños que asisten a campamentos residenciales reportan experimentar cierto nivel de nostalgia durante su tiempo fuera de casa. Es importante destacar que hay cosas que se pueden hacer. antes Campamento para ayudar a preparar a tu hijo/a para la posible nostalgia. Pero primero, un poco de información sobre quién soy:

Mi nombre es Dr. Chris Stoddard y cuento con más de 20 años de experiencia trabajando con niños y adolescentes en campamentos, escuelas y entornos clínicos. Soy psicólogo licenciado y psicólogo escolar; mi especialidad es trabajar con niños preadolescentes y adolescentes varones que pueden tener dificultades emocionales y de comportamiento.

Desde 2001, he participado en campamentos de verano desempeñando diversas funciones, desde monitor de cabaña hasta monitor principal, facilitador de actividades de cuerdas y coordinador de programas. ¡Mi esposa y yo nos conocimos en un campamento de verano hace casi 20 años! Tenemos un hijo de 10 años y una hija de 7, y vivimos a unos 20 minutos del campamento. En resumen, conozco bien el mundo de los campamentos y me interesa que su hijo tenga un verano inolvidable. 

En muchos sentidos, un éxitol summer experience for your son starts now. Here’s my Top 5 List for addCómo afrontar la nostalgia antes de que empiece:

• La decisión de asistir al campamento debe ser una decisión consensuada por ambas partes.

Compared with kids who want to come to camp, kids forced to go to camp are at exponentially greater risk of struggling with severe homesickness. Having what’s called “decision control” about camp significantly lowers the risk of homesickness. 

• Hablemos de ello.

Talking about homesickness does not make it more likely or more severe. In fact, I will be encouraging staff to check in regularly with campers about how homesick they are feeling. It’s hard to observe if a child is worrying about being away from home. Unless the behaviors are severe, it’s hard for camp staff to notice whether or not a camper is struggling with missing home. So, rather than waiting for your son to tell you he’s worried about camp, I encourage you to initiate conversations about things he might be worried about.

From worries about missing home, to concerns about making new friends, to eating different foods, keeping the door open to talk about it all fosters positive coping. The key, here, is for your son to understand that it’s ok for him to feel a bit out-of-sorts at times while at camp; I guarantee you, he isn’t alone. 

• Práctica!

For those of you with a younger camper or a youngster who hasn’t spent much time away from home without you, I encourage you to schedule a couple sleep overs, camp outs, or visits to friends between now and when camp starts. And this doesn’t really have anything to do with age. A 12 year old who has experienced limited time away from home will have a harder time with homesickness than an 8 year old who has lots of experience. I’m not suggesting you send your son away for several weeks this spring, but providing him some short opportunities to learn what it feels like to be “away” for even a night or two will serve him well at camp. 

• Don’t make pick-up deals

I know… as parents, we work hard to protect our children from discomfort and pain. We don’t want them to struggle. But kids learn so much about themselves when they persevere through a tough challenge. We don’t, however, leave them alone to struggle without the hope of help. Kids do best when we set a high expectation but also support them reaching that bar. High expectation + nurturing support = empathetic, resilient kids. So, if your son expresses unease about the summer, rather than making a deal to pick him up if he “can’t do it,” emphasize that he is capable, that he is not alone, and that you’re excited for him to have such an awesome time!

• Cuídalo

It’s a hard and strange time to be a kid. And I almost guarantee that your son is or has experienced some form of recent worries, fears, and frustrations. A significant factor impacting homesickness is how someone copes with strong emotions. A strange and nearly-automatic tendency to expect boys to “suck it up” permeates American culture. As you’re probably aware, boys tend to express their emotions differently than girls. Whereas girls are quicker to express their thoughts and feelings verbally, boys display their internal feelings to us through their behavior.

Unfortunately, boys’ behavior has the tendency to elicit the opposite reaction from us than what they need. So, if he lashes out, see it as an indication that he’s stuck. Rather than forcing him to talk it out, rather than reacting to his behaviors with punishment, draw close. If you can, model for him what it looks like to cope with big feelings. Without words, just be near. In so doing, you psychologically hold him while creating safety that allows him to talk when he’s ready.

I’m excited to support the Camp Mowglis staff this summer as they provide a stellar summer for your boy. My role at Camp has two components: First, I will be contributing to staff training prior to camp starting. Second, I will be at camp one day per week throughout the summer to provide staff consultation as well as support to campers that might need it and/or request it.
Y si tienes preguntas específicas sobre la nostalgia o quieres hablar conmigo directamente, no dudes en contactarme. Nick Robbins, and he’ll provide you with my contact information.