For a child at a summer camp or camp, the most important thing is how he / she feels in a group of peers. If they are overwhelmed with homesickness every day, it means that they are not yet ripe for going on vacation on their own.
Krzyś, a 7-year-old boy, did not cry incolonies . He liked it. He just forgot to bring home all his things. He did exactly as his mother had ordered: he put his dirty clothes in a suitcase under the bed. - I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But among the dozens of orders I gave him, there was no one: take things home - says calmly. She then took the suitcase with clothes by mail.
Vacation without parents - this first time
Parents of seven- or nine-year-oldschildrenare wondering if the time has come for their children to become independent. As psychologists emphasize, for every little person this moment comes at a different time and is related to emotional development. In the eyes of the parents, the camps orcamphave many advantages: fresh air, playing with peers, getting to know the sea or the mountains.
When the child is not ready for a vacation without parents
The child will take advantage of these pleasures, provided that they do not feel an overwhelming longing. When she gets him, he won't want anything but hide under the covers and wait. - If he is ready to disconnect from his parents, the trip is a useful school of independence for him. It will look at itself and its world from a different perspective than before. If the departure is too early, the child may feel rejected by their parents, and this disturbs their sense of security - explains psychologist Monika Werwicka.
When to send your child on vacation alone
It's easy to know that the child is ready to leave, when he spontaneously asks about the colonies, he is happy. Dorota Balcerzyk, a psychiatrist, believes that common sense is the most important thing when deciding to release a child from its parentage. - If a seven- or eight-year-old's trip causes real fears or crying, it is better to look for a day camp for him. With older but fearful children, it is up to the parents for themselves to decide if and how they want to help them overcome fear.- Let us promise that he will get a letter every day, let him take a cuddly toy, which he will tell before going to bed, what good happened to them and what he would like to change the next day - suggests Monika Werwicka. - According to the psychologist, it is better to contact by letter than by phone, because phone calls are difficult for a child, they have to be ended. "I know a colonist who put all the money he got on phone calls." He called home and said: "Everyone went for ice cream, so I saved three zlotys and I can call you." This shows that the child needs something other than what they got.
You must do it
Child and peers
Twelve-year-old Dominik went to a sports camp willingly. After three days, he began calling his parents that he was lonely. On the eighth day he was home. Then he admitted that he was angry with the friend with whom they made up this trip and that he did not like any other one, so he wanted to come back and forced his parents to do so. Psychologists warn against underestimating a child's struggle with equals. Colonies can become a bane or the best place in the world. - If your child learns poorly at school and is therefore isolated, it may be different during the holidays. This is where other skills emerge. He plays great football, swims, preferably tells jokes around the camp or is even a born illusionist. All talents count. And the experience of being a star is very valuable to everyone - emphasizes Monika Werwicka. The best vacation is when everyone has a chance to shine. It is possible with a careful educator and wellarranged situations. Therefore, parents should meet him before sending their child. Some parents invent a colony or camp as a remedy for their own parental troubles. Although they themselves have problems with enforcing orders, they are convinced that other, strangers, in a changed situation, will succeed. In the colonies, their offspring will learn to get up without fussing, to make themselves a bed, to eat politely. - If a parent says that a child will learn independence, it means that he admits: I am helpless, I cannot teach myself, let others do it - says Monika Werwicka. He also warns: - If a child hears "you will see, you will have to make the bed yourself and eat everything to the end", then such a trip will be treated as a punishment.
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