It is the natural instinct of parents to want to protect their children. This feeling may extend to all aspects of their child’s life. Many childrearing experts, however, suggest a certain level of detachment for the child to grow more self-confident and independent. And research shows that summer camps are a safe route for parents to slowly wean themselves from their children.
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Children need to learn life lessons without their parents constantly hovering over them. Additionally, experts say that seemingly stressful situations may encourage the child to develop maturity faster. Both of these qualifications can be found in a summer camp. It must be noted that camps only seem stressful but are still relatively safe. By stress, experts mean the feeling that of "newness." Summer camps remove the school environment, and children are heavily exposed to nature and other firsts. The child is "stressed" because she needs to adapt quickly.
This builds self-confidence and independence as children learn that they are capable of doing certain tasks on their own. Reputable camps foster independence through carefully designed programs that teach the children to walk on their own two feet. As the child learns to trust herself, he will naturally learn his own limits. Thus, when he is next complimented on his skill or talent, he accepts it with pride. This builds confidence, not arrogance.
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The beauty of summer camps is that it also is quite open to failure. Children will fail inevitably in some activity, but this will help them discover what they are good at.
Dayna Hardin is the founder of Lake of the Woods Camp, a summer camp for young girls. For more information, visit this website.
