CAMP PLANNING TIMELINE

According to the American Camp Association, the best summer camp planning timeline for parents to follow is:

JANUARY + FEBRUARY:

Research camps and organize summer plans using a hard calendar so you can write down dates and post it for your kids to see. Attend the 2023 SUMMER CAMP ADVENTURE FAIR with your kids on Feb. 25 at CoolSprings Galleria. Begin booking local day camps.

MARCH + APRIL:

Continuing booking local camp(s) and sleep-away camps, too. Get physicals for your kids (required for camp paperwork).

MAY

Prepare your child for summer camp.

Use these tips to help you as you research summer camps for your child, seeking camps that are accredited, verified and perfect for your child.

LOOK AT REVIEWS. Have other kids like yours enjoyed the camp before? Reviews are a great place to start when you are deciding on a camp for your child. See what other families have enjoyed about their experience and see if they have any suggestions for the future. Peer comments are one of the best ways to determine if the camp is right for your child.

Continue your due diligence by checking out the camp’s website, which should have information about the owners, directors and staff.

ASK QUESTIONS. Asking questions is a great way to speak with the camp owner or director and get an understanding of the camp’s philosophy, safety measures, training procedures and more.

One of the best ways to find the right summer camp for your child is to talk with them to see what they are interested in. Is your child into art or science? Does your child love to be outside exploring? Does she want to be in a show? Ask your kids what kind of activities and experiences they want during the summer, then find camps that fit those requests. Be sure to find out what your child’s friends are doing. Signing up with a friend can help them get more comfortable. While you want your child to make new friends at camp, having a buddy can help break the ice.

Try to choose a camp that is right for your child, not based on their age or what others are doing. For example, some young children are ready for longer day camps or even sleep-away camps before older children. Just because your child is a certain age, it does not mean she is ready. You know your child best: choose the type of summer camp that will help them succeed.

Janey Snyderman is a mother and freelance writer.

Our job as parents is to give our children the tools they need to go out in the world and discover who they are and what they want to become — their purpose in life.

What better place for children to begin this process than sleep-away camp? According to Michael Thompson, a clinical psychologist and author of Homesick and Happy: How Time Away from Parents Can Help a Child Grow, (Ballantine; 2012), “Parents can sometimes seriously impede their children’s development. As a parent, there are many things you cannot do for your children. You cannot give your child confidence, you cannot pick or manage his friendships, you cannot always be her advocate/agent/manager/coach … and most important, parents have a hard time urging their children to take psychological risks.”

Thompson goes on to explain how sleep-away camp succeeds at doing all these things and how critical it is that children and teens have these experiences. He says that true independence is something parents cannot give their children; they must live it on their own.

— sandi schwartz

The Chance That Children Will Use Alcohol Increases as They Get Older. About 10 percent of 12-year-olds say they have tried alcohol, but by age 15, that number jumps to 50 percent. The sooner you talk to your children about alcohol, the greater chance you have of influencing their decision not to drink.

Marijuana se tends to increase

While 1.8 percent of youths ages 12–13 reported consuming marijuana in the past year, that number increased to 11.3 percent of those ages 14–15 and 23.4 percent by ages 15–16.

What you say to your child about alcohol is up to you. But remember, parents who do not discourage underage drinking may have an indirect influence on their children's alcohol use.

• Be a positive adult role model.

• Be aware of risk factors.

• Support your kids and give them space to grow.

• Be prepared. Your child may become curious about alcohol; he or she may turn to you for answers and advice.

• Use ''natural'' opportunities such dinner time or while doing chores start open, honest conversations about drinking.

• Work with schools, communities, the government to protect children from underage alcohol use.

Over and knowledge the drinking children and affect Children