What Kids Hate About Summer Camp

What kids hate about summer camp is a topic worthy of parental consideration. When you look at the attractive summer camp brochures it would seem that going to summer camp would just about fulfill every young person's dreams for the perfect summer vacation. My experiences for 6 years as a camper and more than a dozen years as a counselor, waterfront director and eventually program director have taught me that there are plenty of things that kids hate about summer camp. Considering and dealing with some of these roadblocks to camp enjoyment in advance can really help to make sure that your child will have a wonderful summer and be that kind of "happy camper" that we all hope for as parents and camp staffers.

Leading the list of what kids hate about summer camp fortunately is also the easiest complaint to remedy. Not surprisingly kids hate camps that are basically the wrong kind of camp for them. Summer camps can be like heaven to kids when the correct match is made. But when a poor match between prospective camper and camp is made, it can be a long summer for everyone involved. Unfortunately there are a number ways that parents can select a bad camp match for their son or daughter. For example choosing an overnight camp for a child that is too young or too immature to handle separation from parents or choosing a day camp for a child who is longing for the challenge of being away from home, can leave parents and kids on the short end of a bad deal.

Choosing camps that lack the child's favorite activity like swimming, crafts or tennis can reduce the enjoyment level and increase the annoyance quotient for the duration of the child's stay. Sometimes even choosing a camp without getting lots of camper input can be enough to convince your son or daughter that this camp is not the place to go for the summer.

You can avoid the pitfall of choosing the wrong camp by simply involving your child in the review and selection process. You may think that you can make a good choice for your child but children change by the moment and what was last year's great camping adventure can turn out to be this year's bore. Only by talking to your child can you out maneuver this central reason why kids sometimes hate summer camp.

Even if you and your family collaborate on the selection of a camp there are still elements of camp life that can turn kids off on the summer camp experience. My own recollection of my first two years as a summer camper are witness to one of the things that kids can hate about summer camp. To me, the day camp I attended reminded me way too much of school. I had waited all of the school year for the freedom which summer had always held out to me. But arriving at summer camp I found that, just like school, the camp day was divided into hour long activity segments. And also like school, not every "subject" was necessarily one that you liked. I longed for the freedom of my own backyard and my own neighborhood where I could slide from one activity to another without a horn to tell me when it was time to change what I was doing.

With the same precision as school, summer camp declared what I was to do for each measurable hour of the camp day. Swimming was held at 11 a.m., unless there was a full blown thunder and lightening storm we went swimming. Even though I loved swimming, what I loved more was being able to decide for myself when I wanted to swim and when I just wanted to hang out on the beach with my friends.

Lunch was offered precisely at 12:15 p.m. even if I was hungry at 11:30 a.m. or had no desire to eat until 2 p.m. We even had singing at the same time each day. Kids like me rebelled at the idea that we had to sing at a set time and not by our own personal clocks. The same antipathy towards scheduling during what is supposed to be summer vacation can become one of the things that kids hate about summer camp.

What I found was that part of the reason I centered on the scheduling so much when I was a camper was that I didn't know anyone. If I had some friends I probably would have cared less about what we were actually doing. When I had attended the same camp for several years I had created a group of friends and the whole issue of scheduled activities became far less of problem. This leads to another reason why kids can hate summer camp - loneliness.

Kids like to feel like they belong and kids are notorious for having little patience for things that are unpleasant. Put those two childhood characteristics together and you have the making for what some kids hate about summer camp. When kids go to camp where they don't know anyone, even one day can seem like an eternity. And if you have ever had that experience of spending 8 hours (or 24) totally alone you certainly don't want to put yourself in position to have to endure that kind of thing again. Many kids who get their backs up when told they are being sent to camp have that reaction because they either fear the prospect of loneliness or remember what loneliness feels like and don't want to go down that road again. In fact the fear of loneliness can be the biggest stumbling block some kids have when they start thinking about going to camp.

Finally some kids hate summer camp because, frankly it's just too much of a good thing. You've seen the fliers come to Camp Whatever and enjoy archery, tennis, volleyball, soccer, water sports, boating, crafts, dramatics and on and on. Sure these are all great activities and generally kids enjoy many of them but for some kids summer is also a time to just unwind. Summer is a time to play ball or go for a swim when you feel like it and if you feel like it. If you want to read a book all day, or all week, you can. Some kids just don't want or need all the stimulation that summer camps routinely provide. Some kids just like being at home doing their thing.

Parents who try to provide their kids with all the many and wonderful opportunities that summer camps provide might be surprised when their kids put up a fuss and insist they don't want to go. Knowing some of the reasons why kids might hate summer camp in advance can help parents to respond to their children's protests with sensitivity and understanding. Kids can be turned around, but the turning is done most successfully by parents who bother to look for and attempt to relieve the root causes of their child's discomfort.

Not everyone needs or wants to go to summer camp. You can help your child make the right choice for him or her.