Camp Is Good for Mom and Dad Too
If you think sleep-away summer camp is only about the kids, you’re missing out. Parents benefit from the camp experience as much as their campers – with "me time," spouse time, and even a deepened bond with your child.
by Lori Zanteson
The value of sleep-away camp is undeniable. Newfound independence, new skills, and an appreciation of home and family are just a few of the many benefits…for parents.
Yes, parents. Parent perks are often overlooked in the shadow of the benefits to young campers, but mom and dad have just as much to gain.
Kid-sick?
It used to be the kids who had a tough time leaving for camp. Today as kids smile and wave goodbye, it’s parents who have to put on a brave face and wipe away their own tears. Cases of “kid-sickness,” the term coined for parents missing their kids away at camp, afflict as many parents as kids who are afflicted by homesickness.
Peg Smith, head of the American Camp Association, which works with about 2,600 camps nationwide, says, “The time and energy camp directors put into preparing parents for camp is now equal to the time they prepare children for camp.”
This really doesn’t come as much of a surprise for this generation of involved, hands-on parents. Not only do we play a very close role in our kids’ lives, we feel a duty to protect them in a world we perceive as unsafe. Our21st-century child rearing styles have created a tight bond of dependence through car shuttling, computers, and cell phones that’s not easy to loosen.
Me time
As wonderful as closeness and togetherness is, one of the reasons we send our kids to camp is to become more independent. We parents can stand to do the same.
Ian Erassett, summer camp director of Pali Overnight Adventures in Lake Arrowhead, California, says, “I know a lot of parents will use the opportunity to spend some time on themselves.” By being separated from their kids, parents are forced to relearn how to be on their own. Maybe for the first time since having children, parents can focus solely on themselves: their needs, their desires, their whims. What a concept.
Erassett suggests that mom and dad spend a little time on their relationship as well. Summer camp is an ideal time to reconnect and focus on this essential bond that all too often gets neglected. It’s easy to lose sight of a spouse when we put the needs of the children first. Whether it’s going on a date, preparing a meal together at home, or working on a project, time away from the kids will be rejuvenating and well worth it.
If the nest isn’t completely empty, let those left behind enjoy some center-stage attention. Kids can’t get enough of mom and dad, so give them a chance to call the shots, and give them your undivided attention. Parents always feel there’s not enough of us to go around. Camp solves that problem, if only temporarily. Plus, the children at home may feel left out of the fun and may be missing their sibling. Camp is an adjustment for the whole family, so make this time something special you all can enjoy.
Homecoming gifts
Get ready to welcome your new and improved child home. After a few weeks at camp, “a kid comes home more mature, ready to take care of his belongings, and he gets along with the siblings better,” says Erassett.
As camp director, one of Erasett’s favorite stories is a mother who called him shortly after her son returned home from camp. She was crying in thanks, happiness, and a little disbelief too because her son was now putting his clothes away and making his bed without her having to nag and beg him. That was no surprise to Erassett, who says, “You learn to take care of yourself at camp.” That’s one life skill that benefits both child and parents.
A tidy bedroom has wonderful immediate gratification, but a lot more post-camp changes will be revealed. Camp is one of the only ways for kids to realize the value of the lessons parents have taught them. It hits home for them when someone other than mom or dad recognizes them for using manners and helping out.
It’s important, Erassett says, for campers to “start the growth process away from home, without using mom and dad as a crutch.” Campers are making decisions on their own, testing who they are as well as what they have the potential to become, in team and leadership roles. The experience is empowering for them, knowing their actions have an impact on others. So don’t be surprised when your child returns home more confident, responsible, and helpful.
Time apart will bring you closer together. Separation isn’t easy, but it deepens the bonds between parent and child. Mutual appreciation naturally occurs through the opportunity to think about one another’s unique and special qualities. Those are the things we can’t help but take for granted in our day to day routine.
Whether you write letters or enjoy the rare phone call or two while your child is at camp, your relationship will benefit, and you will both be rewarded at the long-anticipated reunion.
Camp certainly does have something for everyone, including parents who will grow from and enjoy the adventure as much as the kids!
Lori Zanteson is a Southern California-based writer and mother of three who specializes in health, food, and fitness for families.
© Photo by Robert Nystrom | Dreamstime.com
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Inspire Your Kids to Cook
by Christina DiMartino
Your kids—boys and girls alike—express a desire to cook from a very early age, likely without your even realizing it. They make mud pies in the sandbox, play with child-sized cooking sets, and organize kitchens in doll houses or play areas, and they probably inquire about what you’re cooking from the time they begin to communicate.
Kids Cooking Activities offers up reasons why you should encourage cooking activities with your kids. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com)
* Cooking with your children helps them to learn about nutrition and healthy eating.
* Cooking in the kitchen will give children a boost of self confidence. They are accomplishing a task, learning something important, and contributing to the family.
* Taking time to cook with your kids will give them lasting memories. They will pass the traditions on when they are grown and have their own families.
* In the enthusiasm of creating something themselves, your children will be more likely to eat what they had a hand in making.
* Kids learn real lessons in science, language, math, and creativity in the kitchen. Cooking will help reinforce all these subjects.
* Cooking is a great way to learn life skills. This is especially helpful when children are older and more independent. They won't have to rely on fast food and junk food to sustain them.
* Working together in the kitchen teaches your child teamwork.
* Cooking teaches children planning and making choices skills.
* Kids practice creativity and imagination in the kitchen. Cooking activities are a great way for kids to express themselves and enjoy their creations.
It may take longer to get the meal or snack done, but the moments with your children will be priceless. Remember to have patience. Don't worry about flour on the floor or spilled milk.
A role model for cooking with kids
Cooking With Kids, a series of 90-second videos, is hosted by James Beard Award-winning chef John Sarich. Development of the program was inspired by the reality of childhood obesity, anorexia and other eating disorders, Type II Diabetes, and low bone density, which have all become national issues. Cooking With Kids encourages parents and children to spend time in the kitchen together preparing healthy meals in ways that improve communication and help children develop healthy nutritional habits. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.cookingwithkids.org/fact.html)
The program shows how easy it is for kids to prepare snacks and meals that taste good and that are good for them. It uses the five food groups as a platform for nutrition messages. You can watch the videos with your children through the website, then print out the recipe and go try it yourselves.
The recipes that Sarich prepares with kids on the segments teach them which categories on the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid are included in the recipe. He explains how vegetable burritos, for example, include foods that have protein, fiber and dairy, and that the burritos are low in fat.
Good cooking habits
Spatulatta provides 350 step-by-step videos that teach kids good cooking habits, and offers advice for moms, dads and kids on numerous issues related to cooking with kids. It emphasizes topics like teaching kids to wash their hands properly before handling food. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.spatulatta.com)
When it comes to working in the kitchen, you know your children. You know what abilities they have and how fine their motor skills are. Some children are ready to handle a certain kitchen utensil or work at the stove earlier than others. It’s up to you to make that determination.
You set the rules in your kitchen, such as you will always light the burners and oven for your children.
Go over the workings of every electrical appliance with your child. Explain that the beaters, for example, should be inserted into a hand mixer before the mixer is plugged in.
Safety and courtesy are behaviors that need to be re-enforced and modeled.
Once you've explained how to handle an item safely, try asking your child to tell you how to do it the next time the task is required when making a recipe. We all learn best when we try to teach.
CREDIT:
Christina DiMartino has been a freelance and assignment writer since 1985. She is a researcher, interviewer, writer, editor, and manuscript collaborator with a repertoire of clients from around the world.
PHOTO / ILLUSTRATION RECOMMENDATIONS:
Go to http://www.cookingwithkids.org
TEASER:
Cooking with your kids does much more than produce tasty treats! It teaches teamwork, safety, courtesy, math, science, and more, and encourages creativity and imagination. And there are some terrific online videos that will help you get started.
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