You’ve made it! A week or ten days has passed since your child left for camp and all is going great. Now, you find yourself gearing up for your first phone call with your child and you couldn’t be more excited. Here are 10 tips to nail your camper’s first phone call home from sleepaway camp!
- Approach the call with a positive tone e.g… “hey X, it’s so great to hear your voice, how is camp?”
- Be prepared for 1 word answers. Please remember that young children are not that skilled in phone conversations and old fashioned “talking.” It’s hard enough for them at the best of times, never mind at overnight camp! Be patient and positive – that is the key.
- Create a list of questions you could ask e.g… who sleeps next to you, what are your counselors names, do you have a favorite counselor, what activities have you done, have you been waterskiing, do you have a favorite activity at sleepaway camp? Try to make these questions ‘open’ questions as opposed to ‘yes/no’ questions. This approach will help facilitate conversation.
- Try to expand on the information your camper gives you. So, if they say that yes they have been waterskiing then ask them to tell you all about it.
- Tell them how proud you are of them and that you have seen pictures of them on the website.
- Ask your camper if they have been receiving your letters and thank them for their letters.
- Remember that your child has not heard your voice in well over a week. They are likely to be emotional. Please do not meet this emotion with panic or serious concern! Remember that phone calls are not always an accurate picture of how your child is doing at camp. Often the happiest of campers get a little emotional when they hear their parents’ voices for the first time in a while. Try to soothe your child by being calm and collected. Tell your child “sweetheart it is ok to be upset, I’m here for you, talk to me, is everything ok”. They are likely to respond with “I miss you” or “I feel homesick”. Normalize this for your child – tell them that it is ok to feel this way and that you miss them too. Remind them that although they are missing you they can still have fun. Really try to transition your child onto a different focus by referring to your questions (see point 3). PS Almost always, they will hang up the phone and immediately get back into the swing of camp.
- If your child continues to be sad or upset, ask them if there is anything that they need you to tell their camp directors or division/group leaders. Remind them that we are all here to support them. If your child responds that there is nothing to tell us just then reassure them that feeling homesick is very normal and that you have every confidence that they will continue to have fun. If your child responds with a yes, ask them to communicate that with you so that you can be in touch with camp. You could also encourage them to speak directly to their division leader about any concerns that they have.
- At the end of the call there are counselors/head staff/division leaders that will be waiting right outside to hug your child! They are masters at transitioning kids back into the swing of camp-even for those children who have emotional calls.
10. Don’t feel alone after the call! You should feel totally comfortable having a check in or “call-after-the-call” with someone at camp if your child mentioned anything you want more information about. Most camps will be more than happy to connect with you and it’s a good way for you to feel even more in the loop.