Psychologist Stresses Benefits of Camp Experiences
Renowned child psychologist Michael Thompson recently wrote an article discussing the positives of attending summer camp as opposed to the narrower opportunities some parents seek to supposedly pad their college resumes, such as attending summer school or specialized skills programs. Thompson’s take is that children develop in profound ways by venturing out to join a camp community.
Indeed, having literally drunk the Kool Aid at our multicultural summer camp, we appreciate the reinforcement of an academic in espousing the benefits or camp.
Among the many salient points he raises are:
- Learning to sleep away from home is a critical step on the way to independence.
- Beating homesickness, which may be hard for some children, is, by definition, something parents cannot help children do.
- You cannot make your children happy because “if you try too hard they become whiners.”
- You cannot give them self-esteem and confidence because those come from their own accomplishments.
- You cannot give them independence because the only way children can grow into independence is to have their parents open the door and let them walk out. That’s what makes camp such a life-changing experience for children.
- “Many young people do not really know how strong they are, how competent they are or even who they are until they get away from their parents and test themselves in a new and challenging environment.”
For more, check out the full article here.