Recently, my friend Nick went on a tirade rant about how he doesn’t understand why so many people in his area consider sleepaway camp a necessity. As a former camper, I was a little upset at his choice of words. It’s hard to explain to someone who’s never been to sleepaway camp why it’s so important, or why so many people consider it a necessity, but I’m going to give it a try.
For those of you not familiar with sleepaway camp, let me explain. Imagine, deep in the woods or mountains (or sometimes both), a small village filled with cabins, soccer fields, basketball and tennis courts, a lake, maybe a pool, a whole lot of dirt, trees and bugs. Inhabiting that village are hundreds of screaming children, living for 4 to 8 weeks in those cabins, supervised by just as unruly college students. Three times a day, they’re hoarded into a giant holding tank where they’re fed such luxury foods as pizza bagels, somewhat baked chicken (and not always minus the feathers), and sugar flavored water. Sometimes, during those feeding times, a random song or dance will break out (if you’re lucky, those screaming chants will include immense peer pressure to get one camper to kiss another, quick and on the cheek. Ask me how I know this). Sounds horrible, right?
I assure you, it’s not.
There is nothing better than spending 8 weeks living with your friends, away from your parents, learning to do fun things like canoe or sail or make immense amounts of lanyard bracelets. It’s a time where kids who are too shy to try out for the school play can become theater stars or the nonathletic to participate on a sports team. It’s a place where girls who never get asked on dates always have a boyfriend (ask me how I know this). It’s an atmosphere that allows you to be who you really are and have people accept you for it. It’s a place, truly, where self-esteem is built and it provides an escape from a life that many kids desperately need an escape from. To me, you can’t put a price tag on that.
But in addition to the self-esteem building, there are plenty of other skills that kids learn at sleepaway camp (none of them involving late night raids, practical jokes or stealthily avoiding mandatory activities. Ask me how I know this). For instance, camp is where I learned the true importance of living in a clean house. Nothing says “clean this shit up” like the possibility of a chipmunk, raccoon, squirrel or various 6-8 legged creatures showing up to invade your stuff. I learned how to be organized because when you have 4 shelves for your clothes, ½ a shelf for your toiletries (for a 15 year old girl, ½ a shelf is not at all adequate) and you’re too afraid to store stuff under your bunk bed, you maximize and organize what you do have. I learned that there are consequences for showing up late and sometimes, rewards for showing up early. I also learned that hot water is in limited supply and that showing up late to the shower means an impossibly cold, unpleasant shower (due to this, I can take a complete shower, including shaving my legs, in under 5 minutes. TMI? Possibly. Completely true? Absolutely).
That’s not all. When you spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with the same people, you learn how to independently and quickly solve problems as well as let grudges go. In the same vein, you learn that you’re not going to get along with everyone, and that’s fine, but sometimes you’re still going to have to spend time together and you better not complain about it. You also learn that there is a whole world out there besides the small town you come from. Many summer camps employ counselors from other countries and let me tell you, that was pretty awesome. To this day, my favorite accent is that of a New Zealander and it’s all thanks to my counselor Natalie.
I guess, to answer Nick’s concern, sleepaway camp isn’t necessarily a need. Kids do survive just fine without it. But it’s not as big of a waste as it seems to be. Sure you may spend your days doing arts and crafts or playing soccer and your nights participating in talent shows and other ridiculous activities, but when all is said and done, sleepaway camp provides a lot of value to the campers. Many of the skills I have as an adult are either directly or indirectly related to what I learned at camp.
Plus, it’s just damn fun. I enjoyed the hell out of the summers I spent at my sleepaway camp. They are some of the fondest memories I have from my childhood, and if my daughter ever wants to go, I have no problem coming up with the money to send her. It may not be a life or death need but what she’ll gain from going will be worth every penny spent.
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[…] is more like a shameful excuse for a house. Hovel is probably a more appropriate description. My shack at sleepaway camp was better constructed than this house. First of all, the addition that was built onto the house […]
I never went. On the upside, it sounds like it’s so barebones that it shouldn’t be all that costly compared to some of the other alternatives!
I probably should have painted a more accurate picture. What I described? Was my camp as a camper. The one I worked at had air conditioning, real showers, and lots of other luxuries that I don’t think belong in a camp. And it cost a fortune for the parents to send their kids to. My camp? Cheap!
I always wanted to do this when I was younger!
Michelle recently posted…A peak into my insanity (AKA my closet)
I could not be more appreciative that my parents sent me to camp. It has had a huge impact on my life.
What is the minimum age for kids that can go to this kind of a sleepaway camp?
Tushar@EverythingFinance recently posted…Know Your Taxes – Currency Conversion Tax
Most of the camps that I’m aware of have a minimum age of 7 or 8.
Can I go at 33? 🙂
Nick recently posted…What’s your worst money habit?
You just described what I learned living in my own home growing up as the oldest of five children. Ha! I never went to camp 🙁 I was never watched by a baby sitter either. I think it’s a cultural thing. I just signed my daughter up for Summer Camp for the first tim but it’s only for a week. She is so excited and I am sure that she will gain memories that will last a lifetime. My husband and I are the ones who are going to have to suck it up and allow her to spread her wings. So hard to do. We are not a materialistic kind of family but we rarely put a price tag on experiences. All Star Fan Fest- Yes Please, Designer Jeans, not so much 😉
Jenniemarie @ anotherhousewife recently posted…Caught Off Guard by Mile Markers
I don’t think it’s so much a cultural thing as a regional thing. There are plenty of people I know now who never went to camp, which was bizarre to me. I thought everyone went to camp! Now I’m learning that I was the bizarre one!
I went to camp twice as a kid, but they were only week long camps. But I had so much fun!! I’m with you; if my daughter wants to go to camp someday, she can go. There’s just something about it 🙂
Mackenzie recently posted…Goals for March
There really is something about sleepaway camp than cannot accurately be described in words!
I went to a few sleepaway camps over about 5 summers, none for longer than 2 weeks. They were wonderful experiences! I think it’s great to just get away from your routine and be exposed to new ideas and new people.
My first experiences were at Girl Scout camps, which I remember being very affordable and more rustic. I went to a few general sessions and then attended some water-sports specialized ones where I learned to sail!
I also went to tennis camp for two summers, which REALLY elevated my game and enabled me to play on my high school team. Those were at a public university in my state. We stayed in dorms and were on the courts for at least 6 hrs/day, plus conditioning.
I would prioritize saving for college above these experiences for my children but I hope that we can provide both for them. Plus, if you send all your kids away at the same time, I would imagine it would be a great time for parents to reconnect! Maybe think of it as an investment in the marriage. 🙂
Emily @ evolvingPF recently posted…Private School Angst
My parents didn’t get the luxury of no kids in the house until my middle sister and I had both moved out and my little sister was in camp (she’s 10 years younger than me). They’ll never admit but I know they secretly enjoyed not having any kids around.
I never had the experience of attending a sleep away camp. Considering there are a lot of kids who spend more time sitting in front of a computer or video game console in the summer, I think putting them in an environment where they can get some exercise, interact with other kids, and learn some new skills is a much better alternative.
This is actually a really good point. We rarely watched anything, except for occasional movie nights or on rainy days when they were desperate to give us something to do. And we spent almost all day outside, hanging out with friends…that’s good on so many fronts.
that sounds rather awesome.. i would have loved it as a kid, but never got to anything like that. how much does it typically run?
they have an overnight ymca camp not far from here that i have offered up to my kids if they get all A’s on a report card.. so far, neither of my sons has been able to pull it off.
jefferson recently posted…Habit Creep
I’ve never actually had to pay for camp so I’m not sure of the price but I know that there are some that cost a fortune while others are quite reasonable.
I loved Girl Scout Camp. It was an invaluable experience that taught me a lot about life and a lot about myself. And it was cheap since I sold cookies to pay my way!
Christa recently posted…Kids and Finances: How Much is Too Much?
That’s definitely incentive to get you to sell some cookies!
I’ve never been on a sleepaway camp, but I would imagine if nothing else it makes you appreciate what you have at home, all those little luxuries you are so used to.
Janine recently posted…Garage Flooring Restorations
As camp would come to an end, we would all sit and plan what foods we were going to eat and how good it would feel to sleep in a house with air conditioning. It really did give us a greater appreciation for those luxuries. On the other side, after 8 weeks, you realize that they’re not really a necessity anymore and you can get by just fine without them.
Haha! I can’t believe I missed this post! I check in every day, I swear! What can I say? Sleep away camp sounds like a lot of fun and I’d definitely go (and send my kids) if we saved up the money for it. Like you recognized, my issue was with the people (one in particular who I quoted in my post) who act as if skipping a year because you got a paycut would be like keeping your kids in a cage with a gerbil water bottle hanging from the top…
I like Emily’s 2-week example though. That sounds like a reasonable alternative. And a friend just offered me a condo in St. Thomas for a month for $1,100… that’s a sleep away camp I can get used to!
Nick recently posted…What’s your worst money habit?