Homesickness
A summer at Greystone should be one of the best experiences in your daughter’s life. By keeping a few things in mind before the summer, you can help assure that your daughter has an easy transition into camp.
Focus On The Good Things
Before camp begins, don’t dwell on the “I’ll miss you” thoughts. Instead, let her know how excited you are about the fun that she is going to have at Greystone. This will get her excited about camp instead of thinking about how much she is going to miss you while she’s gone.
Let’s Not Make A Deal
Do not make a deal with your child about camp. One of the worst things that you can do is tell her, “If you don’t like it, you can come home.” This will cause your daughter to evaluate every minute of the day to decide whether she likes it or not. The weight of this “decision” ultimately can overwhelm even a strong camper and keep her from enjoying camp.
It’s OK To Have Fun
If your child is anxious about coming, reassure her that having a good time at camp doesn’t mean that she loves you any less. Some campers feel that having a good time means that they are not missing home enough. Make sure that she knows that you want her to be at camp and have a great time.
Keep It Short And Sweet
On Opening Day, make your goodbye short. Dragging it out will cause your daughter to dwell on the sadness of you leaving, instead of on the fun she has ready for her at camp.
Write Her A Letter
Send your daughter a letter a few days before she is to arrive at camp, or drop off letters on Opening Day. She can then get mail on the first day of camp, which will make her feel special. The more you write to your daughter, the less homesick she will be. There is nothing worse than being the only camper who did not get mail all week.
Celebrate
If your daughter has a birthday while she is at camp, make plans to celebrate at home either before or after camp. We will have a celebration for her here, but she may feel like she is missing out by not having a birthday at home.
Thinking Ahead
Our cabins have showers, not bathtubs. If your daughter is used to taking baths at home, let her take a few showers so she is prepared for that when she comes to camp. You can read through some other good tips on our Preparing for Camp page.
Get Familiar
We would love for you and your daughter to schedule a tour of camp before it begins. Just seeing the camp and all of the facilities will help her to feel like she knows Greystone better. Just fill out our Tour Request form, or call us, and we can set up a good time to come.
To see more of our informational videos, visit our Video page.