Is Overnight Camp a Good Thing?

Well, I shipped my daughter off to camp a couple of weeks ago. She tells me she is having an awesome time. And I know she is. She loves overnight camp and has been going for 6 years now. I never thought about it as "getting rid of her" or free time for me or my husband...but when I listen to other parents it seems that some of them do think of it that way. And in the reverse, one parent at a recent house party was saying that she would never send her daughter away to camp. She thought that it was her parental responsibility to keep her at home and that parents who sent their kids to camp...well she implied that maybe they shouldn't have kids??

Now, she never went to camp herself so maybe she doesn't understand the kind of experience it is. I did and I loved it. Or maybe overnight camp is really not a good choice for her kids. For me, as a kid, it was a major influence on my personal development and socialization. I have vivid, wonderful memories of it and I wanted to bring that to my kids...but only if it seemed right for them. My son went to day camp a few years but never to overnight camp. It wasn't right for him. But my daughter is another story and I know that camp is a vital part of her life. This is her last year and while I know she is somewhat sad about that, she is also ready to move on to different adventures.

If you are truly focused on your children, their needs, personality and not your needs as a parent, you have the best chance at creating life experiences, including camp that are right... I think....but let's face it even parents with the best intentions don't always make the right decisions.