A giant slice of cold watermelon, the sparkle of fireflies as

the sun sets, and a week away at summer camp – all things

we picture as part of the All-American summer. But as you

ponder your child’s summer schedule and strive to fit in all

the elements that will make it magical, you may be

wondering, “Is my child ready for a week away at summer

camp?”

It’s not an easy question to answer because there’s no set

age that makes a child “ready.” Andrew Boshell has been the

director for seven years at the Pine Cove Towers camp in

East Texas, a weeklong overnight camp for kids in second

through fifth grade. He humorously said, “If you’re asking yourself, ‘Is my child ready for camp?’

the answer is most certainly ‘Maybe!’”

If you are wondering if your child is ready, there are some practical things to consider. Here are a

few questions to think through. Does she want to go to camp? Is he tying his own shoes? Has

your child stayed away from home overnight? If your answer is “yes” to all these considerations,

there’s a good chance he’s ready! But even if you ended up with a “no” to all three questions,

never fear. Your child could still be ready by the summer.

IS MY KIDREADYFOR CAMP?

This is a good place to start. If your son or daughter has asked about going to camp or if your

mention of the idea is met with squeals of delight, you’ve got this category covered. However, if

your child has no desire to go to camp, maybe there’s a reason. Try to find out why he doesn’t

want to go. “Ask open-ended questions to find out anything that they are fearful of or anxious

about,” suggests Boshell. Chances are good that after some reassurances and confidence-

boosting conversations, your kiddo will be ready to face his or her fears. And if not, there’s always

next summer.

DOES YOUR CHILD WANT TO GO TO CAMP?

It’s not that there’s something special about shoe-tying that signals that your child is ready for

camp, it’s just that it gives a good gauge on how independent your child is. You could ask the

same question about your daughter’s ability to fix her hair in the morning or your son’s ability to

take a shower by himself. If you realize your child falls short in the area of independence, there

are several consolations. First of all, it takes a little time, but these tasks could be taught in a

weekend and mastered in plenty of time before camp. Secondly, may I make a confession? My

daughter can’t really tie her shoes very well yet (ahem, fourth child), and we still sent her off to a

week of camp last summer. I’m pretty sure she wore her close-toed, slip-on shoes most of the

week. No shoelaces! Problem solved. There are plenty of other hacks to help kids who might be a

little weak in the independence zone.

At Pine Cove, where I send my kids, the counselors have always been amazing at caring for my

children. They even braided my daughters’ hair each morning! This should put your mind at ease

– and your camper’s.

If your child has already experienced staying overnight with a friend or grandparent, they have

the confidence that they can handle camp! If they haven’t taken a test run yet, there’s no time like

the present. Maybe a set of nearby grandparents would be willing to keep them for the weekend.

Or if your child has a buddy who is considering overnight camp, too, perhaps your families could

trade off having sleepovers at one another’s house. In this case, experience breeds confidence,

and you want to send your child to camp with all the confidence she can muster!

Does your child have the desire, independence, and confidence to spend a week at camp? What

if all these boxes seem to be checked off, but you’re still not sure if they are ready? Not to sound

harsh, but could it be thatmaybe it’s you that’s not ready? Guilty, party of one, right here! Sending

off my youngest daughter this past summer, even though my older three kids had already gone

to camp successfully several times, tugged at this mama’s heartstrings. If my husband wasn’t so

level-headed, my daughter so eager to have her turn at camp, and my confidence in our favorite

summer camp so high, I might have kept her home. I’m glad I didn’t. She had a great week – and I

survived, too!

The decision to send your precious kids off

to camp should not be taken lightly. Good

for you for really considering your child’s

readiness and doing some due diligence to

find just the right camp. (Be sure and check

out this article on camp safety). Summer

camp should be a joy-filled, fun-laced,

life-changing event that every child should

experience – when the time is right.

A giant slice of cold watermelon, the sparkle of fireflies as

the sun sets, and a week away at summer camp – all things

we picture as part of the All-American summer. But as you

ponder your child’s summer schedule and strive to fit in all

the elements that will make it magical, you may be

wondering, “Is my child ready for a week away at summer

camp?”

It’s not an easy question to answer because there’s no set

age that makes a child “ready.” Andrew Boshell has been the

director for seven years at the Pine Cove Towers camp in

East Texas, a weeklong overnight camp for kids in second

through fifth grade. He humorously said, “If you’re asking yourself, ‘Is my child ready for camp?’

the answer is most certainly ‘Maybe!’”

If you are wondering if your child is ready, there are some practical things to consider. Here are a

few questions to think through. Does she want to go to camp? Is he tying his own shoes? Has

your child stayed away from home overnight? If your answer is “yes” to all these considerations,

there’s a good chance he’s ready! But even if you ended up with a “no” to all three questions,

never fear. Your child could still be ready by the summer.

This is a good place to start. If your son or daughter has asked about going to camp or if your

mention of the idea is met with squeals of delight, you’ve got this category covered. However, if

your child has no desire to go to camp, maybe there’s a reason. Try to find out why he doesn’t

want to go. “Ask open-ended questions to find out anything that they are fearful of or anxious

about,” suggests Boshell. Chances are good that after some reassurances and confidence-

boosting conversations, your kiddo will be ready to face his or her fears. And if not, there’s always

next summer.

HAS YOUR CHILD STAYED AWAY FROM HOME OV E R N I G H T ?

CAN YOUR CHILD TIE HIS OWN SHOES?

It’s not that there’s something special about shoe-tying that signals that your child is ready for

camp, it’s just that it gives a good gauge on how independent your child is. You could ask the

same question about your daughter’s ability to fix her hair in the morning or your son’s ability to

take a shower by himself. If you realize your child falls short in the area of independence, there

are several consolations. First of all, it takes a little time, but these tasks could be taught in a

weekend and mastered in plenty of time before camp. Secondly, may I make a confession? My

daughter can’t really tie her shoes very well yet (ahem, fourth child), and we still sent her off to a

week of camp last summer. I’m pretty sure she wore her close-toed, slip-on shoes most of the

week. No shoelaces! Problem solved. There are plenty of other hacks to help kids who might be a

little weak in the independence zone.

At Pine Cove, where I send my kids, the counselors have always been amazing at caring for my

children. They even braided my daughters’ hair each morning! This should put your mind at ease

– and your camper’s.

If your child has already experienced staying overnight with a friend or grandparent, they have

the confidence that they can handle camp! If they haven’t taken a test run yet, there’s no time like

the present. Maybe a set of nearby grandparents would be willing to keep them for the weekend.

Or if your child has a buddy who is considering overnight camp, too, perhaps your families could

trade off having sleepovers at one another’s house. In this case, experience breeds confidence,

and you want to send your child to camp with all the confidence she can muster!

Does your child have the desire, independence, and confidence to spend a week at camp? What

if all these boxes seem to be checked off, but you’re still not sure if they are ready? Not to sound

harsh, but could it be thatmaybe it’s you that’s not ready? Guilty, party of one, right here! Sending

off my youngest daughter this past summer, even though my older three kids had already gone

to camp successfully several times, tugged at this mama’s heartstrings. If my husband wasn’t so

level-headed, my daughter so eager to have her turn at camp, and my confidence in our favorite

summer camp so high, I might have kept her home. I’m glad I didn’t. She had a great week – and I

survived, too!

The decision to send your precious kids off

to camp should not be taken lightly. Good

for you for really considering your child’s

readiness and doing some due diligence to

find just the right camp. (Be sure and check

out this article on camp safety). Summer

camp should be a joy-filled, fun-laced,

life-changing event that every child should

experience – when the time is right.

A giant slice of cold watermelon, the sparkle of fireflies as

the sun sets, and a week away at summer camp – all things

we picture as part of the All-American summer. But as you

ponder your child’s summer schedule and strive to fit in all

the elements that will make it magical, you may be

wondering, “Is my child ready for a week away at summer

camp?”

It’s not an easy question to answer because there’s no set

age that makes a child “ready.” Andrew Boshell has been the

director for seven years at the Pine Cove Towers camp in

East Texas, a weeklong overnight camp for kids in second

through fifth grade. He humorously said, “If you’re asking yourself, ‘Is my child ready for camp?’

the answer is most certainly ‘Maybe!’”

If you are wondering if your child is ready, there are some practical things to consider. Here are a

few questions to think through. Does she want to go to camp? Is he tying his own shoes? Has

your child stayed away from home overnight? If your answer is “yes” to all these considerations,

there’s a good chance he’s ready! But even if you ended up with a “no” to all three questions,

never fear. Your child could still be ready by the summer.

This is a good place to start. If your son or daughter has asked about going to camp or if your

mention of the idea is met with squeals of delight, you’ve got this category covered. However, if

your child has no desire to go to camp, maybe there’s a reason. Try to find out why he doesn’t

want to go. “Ask open-ended questions to find out anything that they are fearful of or anxious

about,” suggests Boshell. Chances are good that after some reassurances and confidence-

boosting conversations, your kiddo will be ready to face his or her fears. And if not, there’s always

next summer.

It’s not that there’s something special about shoe-tying that signals that your child is ready for

camp, it’s just that it gives a good gauge on how independent your child is. You could ask the

same question about your daughter’s ability to fix her hair in the morning or your son’s ability to

take a shower by himself. If you realize your child falls short in the area of independence, there

are several consolations. First of all, it takes a little time, but these tasks could be taught in a

weekend and mastered in plenty of time before camp. Secondly, may I make a confession? My

daughter can’t really tie her shoes very well yet (ahem, fourth child), and we still sent her off to a

week of camp last summer. I’m pretty sure she wore her close-toed, slip-on shoes most of the

week. No shoelaces! Problem solved. There are plenty of other hacks to help kids who might be a

little weak in the independence zone.

At Pine Cove, where I send my kids, the counselors have always been amazing at caring for my

children. They even braided my daughters’ hair each morning! This should put your mind at ease

– and your camper’s.

If your child has already experienced staying overnight with a friend or grandparent, they have

the confidence that they can handle camp! If they haven’t taken a test run yet, there’s no time like

the present. Maybe a set of nearby grandparents would be willing to keep them for the weekend.

Or if your child has a buddy who is considering overnight camp, too, perhaps your families could

trade off having sleepovers at one another’s house. In this case, experience breeds confidence,

and you want to send your child to camp with all the confidence she can muster!

Does your child have the desire, independence, and confidence to spend a week at camp? What

if all these boxes seem to be checked off, but you’re still not sure if they are ready? Not to sound harsh, but could it be that it’s you that’s not ready? Guilty, party of one, right here! Sending off

my youngest daughter this past summer, even though my older three kids had already gone to

camp successfully several times, tugged at this mama’s heartstrings. If my husband wasn’t so

level-headed, my daughter so eager to have her turn at camp, and my confidence in our favorite

summer camp so high, I might have kept her home. I’m glad I didn’t. She had a great week – and

I survived, too!

The decision to send your precious kids off

to camp should not be taken lightly. Good

for you for really considering your child’s

readiness and doing some due diligence to find just the right camp. (Be sure and check out how the camp where I send my children vets, hires, and trains their staff for camper safety here.) Summer camp should be a joy-filled,

fun-laced, life-changing event that every child

should experience – when the time is right.

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