Summer Camp
Derleth, Michael (mderleth@ELI.NET)
Tue, 17 Jun 1997 13:33:32 -0400
Regarding the issue of Parents Nights and homesickness:
Every camp I've tended has had a wonderfully engaging program. The
biggest problem has been with well-meaning parents that say or do
the wrong thing, promoting homesickness, or helping a mild case
turn terminal.
Each year we send parents information on homesickness and what they
can do to help insure their child is unaffected. (I can probably
find the whole letter if interested) Two key ideas:
--Write an encouraging postcard or two, but do NOT say things like
"your dog misses you" or "it doesn't seem the same without you".
These just remind the child of home and may bring on homeickness.
--Discourage the Scout from calling home. If it's a real emergency,
the Scout leader knows how to get in touch. "You can tell us all
about it when you get home, honey."
In fact, when phones were widely available to Scouts, homesickness
increased greatly. Scouts spent hours on the phone to mom, girlfriend
etc., obsessing about what they were missing at home, not immersing
themselves in an interesting program (forgetting about home in the
process.) Were I to change one thing about camp administration, THATS
what would change, not the parents night schedule.
Michael Derleth MDerleth@ELI.NET
Network Planner-Traffic Eng. (360) 891-3792 voice
Electric Lightwave, Inc. Vancouver, WA
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