Homesickness

Homesickness is common, particularly if this is your child’s first time away from home.

The degree of homesickness varies among kids. Some miss home intensely for a few minutes and then forget all about it as they dive into Camp activities. Other kids think about home the entire time they are away. It is almost impossible to predict how your child will react.

The most common time for homesickness at Camp is at bedtime when everything is quiet. Usually, once activities resume in the morning many campers forget about being homesick.

Calling home

In the majority of cases, calling home or talking to a family member usually makes homesickness worse and these campers end up leaving Camp early.

You are always welcome to call and check in on your child. However, we do not allow campers to call home or parents to call campers except in extreme cases of homesickness. If a camper is extremely homesick, a staff member will call you to solicit your help and input.

Campers who work through homesickness and stay the entire session feel a sense of accomplishment and are so proud of themselves at the end of Camp.

Here are some tips on how you can help your child handle homesickness.

Ways to help homesickness
Talk about homesickness before Camp	Discuss homesickness and ways your child can over come it. Prepare your child for Camp and ensure they know what to expect. Talk to other kids and parents about what to expect. Share with your child ideas for coping, such as making new friends, joining group activities and staying busy. Give the Camp director and your child’s counselor a heads up if you think homesickness will be an issue
Take a favorite thing to Camp (NO pets please!)	Let your child take a security toy or blanket along. Pack a favorite book, comic book or magazine.
Write upbeat letters	Send cards or letters to your child throughout the Camp session. Focus on the good time your child is having. Do not tell your child how much you miss them or wish they were home.
Don’t linger on opening day	Don’t wait until the last possible moment to leave (Camp directors prefer not to escort parents off the camp property) Stay upbeat and positive. Tell your child that you love them, will miss them, will return for them and that you know they will have a great time. Don’t make the separation harder for your kids than it needs to be by embarrassing them. Tears are fine — sobbing and clinging are not helpful.
Do not call your child	Learn Camp policies about phone calls (most Camps do not allow parents to talk to kids directly and cell phones are not allowed). Don’t insist on speaking with children who are homesick - kids who are homesick and talk to their parents usually end up going home early. Understand that Camp staff will call you if your child is having major challenges or medical concerns.