The Overnight Camp Experience

One Parent’s Perspective

I wish I could say that it was my idea to send my son, James, to overnight camp, but it wasn’t. A friend wanted me to send him so her daughter would have a buddy there. She had never been away from home and James could help her survive the nights away. So my friend asked me to consider sending James too.

I was excited that he would have the chance to go to overnight camp. All of the neighborhood kids went, and I thought it would help James socialize if he had similar experiences. I was nervous since the camp was far away and his only overnight experience was at his grandmother’s house. Spending a whole week away seemed daunting.

James is now 13. He was born 27 weeks premature. He has cerebral palsy and wears ankle-foot orthotics, walks with crutches or walker and uses a wheelchair. He can write but not quickly. At school, he is in co-taught classes and uses a computer for most writing activities. He is a good student and gets good grades as a result of his hard work. At camp, I just wanted him to have fun, sleep in a cabin with other kids and have the typical camp experience. I wanted him to be more independent and know that he can spend a week without mom and dad.

We prepared him in several ways. First, we made sure that he had clothes and shoes that he could put on himself, so if the other kids didn’t need much assistance he wouldn’t either. Second, we talked about how his father loved overnight camp, how many new friends he would make and the fun activities he would get to do. Third, we sent him with family pictures and a note for each day that said things like “I know you are having a great time, and I can’t wait to hear about all of the fun things that you are doing.” We didn’t say things that would make him homesick.

James’ first week away was at Camp Dream Street in Mississippi when he was 8 years old. The application process was an easy multi-page form where I wrote down everything about James including his complete medical history, what he liked and didn’t like, what kind of help he might need, etc. My husband and I drove James to camp, and we were greeted at the gate by his counselor, who had memorized everything I had written on the application!

We did stay in Mississippi because Atlanta seemed too far away if something went wrong. Nothing went wrong. While James was at camp, I stayed very busy so I wouldn’t have time to worry. I kept reminding myself that camp was good for him. Every night we checked the camp Web site for pictures of James from that day to make sure he was having fun. He had so much fun that he cried when we picked him up. He didn’t want camp to be over. He had a great bond with his counselor and had made many friends. Then he asked when his next week of overnight camp would be.

Since that first camp experience, James has been to Boy Scout summer camp, Alabama Special Camp for Children and Adults, Blaze Sports camp and computer gaming camp. In every case, the camp staff cared about my child’s special needs and went out of their way to create a great experience for him. They learned how to help him, and he learned to let them know when they helped too much.

Camp taught James he can be away from home without his family and have a good time. Camp motivated him to be independent, and now he is more self-sufficient with dressing and personal care. He doesn’t have any siblings, so he learned to share a tent, a cabin and a bathroom. He is a really picky eater, but figured out he wouldn’t starve thanks to peanut butter sandwiches at every meal. He tried activities that were scary (tubing, riding in a boat, adapted water skiing) and discovered they were fun! He learned to create a video game, climb a tower and ride a zip line. He met kids who face challenges similar to his, and others who struggle with even more. He made friends from other places and looks forward to going back to camp so he can see them again.

A week away from home won’t kill you or your child. Send your child to camp but be prepared. If they love it, you’ll have to send them again.

Lauren Seidl, who serves on the board of FOCUS, is the mother of a 13-year-old son.

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