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JULY 1, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER OCTOBER 29, 29, 2015 2015 || The The Jewish Jewish Home Home
Parenting Pearls
Mommy Camp By Sara Rayvych, MSEd
M
ommy camp is a classic. While most children will attend one of our wonderful local camps or venture away from home for sleepaway camp, many families will choose to have one or more children spend their summer at home. While it’s becoming less and less common for children to not be enrolled in some form of official camp, there are still many children who enjoy a summer at home. The truth is that while it’s called “Mommy camp,” anyone can run it, and for any portion of the day, so for this article I’m preferring the term “camp at home.” Whether it’s dad who dedicates the summer to the little ones or grandparents who make that time for bonding, campat-home has many advantages and time for family togetherness. To be honest, it can also have some challenges, but many who do it will say the benefits far outweigh the difficulties. Some parents will simply make the decision based on finances. Other children aren’t ready for an outside program, while other kids simply want to enjoy being home with their family. Most of the children who stay home for the summer will be the younger set but you will definitely find children of all ages
availing themselves of this option. Round robins are another popular option for families, and many find it to be a good in-between for their child. I will not discuss whether day camp, sleepaway camp or at-home camp is the better option for your child, since each has its own benefits. More importantly, every child is unique and what works for the majority of children may not work for your unique child. Planning your child’s summer is a great opportunity for them to grow during this fun time period, and picking the right program is a responsibility parents take seriously.
Scheduling Creating a schedule can, and should, be based on what works best for both the adult in charge and the children “attending” camp-at-home. There are some children that require a regiment of clear guidelines of where they need to be at any given moment and what they should be doing at that time. Most kids are not like this. Take the time in advance to think of what type of schedule will best meet your child’s needs. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to this, and it’s really what best suits your individual child. Many, if not most, kids will ben-
efit from some structure with lots of free play. Since I think this is the most common structure, I will focus on this scheduling option the most. Schedules need not look like an army regiment but having some structure can create guidance and balance in a child’s day. The needs of a younger child will, obviously, differ from the needs of an older child. The truth is that some of our youngest campers may not experience much of a change from their usual year-round schedule – and that’s fine. Children, especially the youngest members of the family, thrive on predictability and continuity from day to day. Davening, meals, bath and nap/ bedtime are some of the basics to schedule in a child’s day. Just having these in place gives some rhythm to their schedule. Most likely, you already have these in place but having them somewhat set is grounding for a child. Little ones, in particular, don’t have a good concept of time but can often understand time based on these signposts. For example, a toddler won’t understand that sprinklers are at 2:00 but may happily accept the answer of “after lunch.” Knowing they can expect these familiar events daily gives some security to a child and automatic help to an adult in planning
any other events. You don’t need a trip, project or event scheduled for every day. Over-filling your schedule can lead to burnout and exhaustion, although you should definitely feed your child every day! There are kids that may want no structure whatsoever, but, especially for older kids, there are reasons why even these kids may benefit from some scheduling guidance. Without anything to do all day, children can get restless, bored or simply accomplish nothing. Children are more motivated when they’re involved in making their schedules. The older they are, the more involved they can become. Teens, in particular, may surprise you with their creativity when given the freedom to design their daily plans. Don’t forget the needs of the adults! Adults are people, too. Create a schedule with your own needs in mind, as well. There are parents that thrive on clear schedules, while others find that stifling. Keep your own tendencies in mind as you help build your child’s daily rhythm. Without taking your own needs into account, you risk being overwhelmed and eventual burnout. Spending time with your child should be enjoyable for both of you. Feeling like a tortured martyr won’t
