| Traditional Summer Camps Are Pulling The Plug |
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Originally, summer camps were all about getting back to nature, or learning about nature for the first time. Camps were rustic, usually on a lake and while campers complained about the food so mom would mail homemade cookies, the food was hearty and fun. In the late 1990s, things started to change. Everyone wanted nicer, and parents even thought kids should have room service. What some camps did allow for a while were cell phones, laptops and even web cams, but most of them have now called a big halt to that. It was a nightmare. Parents would literally send their kids to camp with two cells phones - the extra being for if one got lost or maybe a mean counselor took one away you still had an extra. There were parents who sent web cams along so they could see the cook outs at night and parents who encourage kids to keep camp blogs and post everyday. Three out of four summer camps have now said enough!. As it turned out, the ability to constantly communicate with parents, friends or whoever else was negating most of the positive things kids get out of camps in the first place. Seasoned and professional camp owners say that kids need to learn to work stuff out on their own and they cant do it if they can pick up a phone and call home whenever they have a spat with another camper or lose a swimming race. They also say its a time for kids to get dirty, rip their jeans and play games without having to worry what the folks will say. Theres type of tethering that goes on with parents and kids today because of constant communication and a summer camp wants none of that. Its okay to try to appease worried parents, but summer camps are all about letting kids be kids. |
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