<p>^^ Have to admit… I did the air matress thing… We got in really late and I was too tired to head home. Left after dorm breakfast the next AM. My kid loved it.</p>
<p>SO this Yale kid knew his mom was there?! </p>
<p>My son would have me removed in a straight jacket if I told him I was sleeping in his dorm.</p>
<p>I would not have been able to find two square inches of space that was not covered with clothes, papers, books, half-eaten food, let alone enough space for an air mattress.
It appears that the son knew his mom was there and went off partying while his mom settled for her sleep. I wonder whether he had roommates?</p>
<p>In reference to post #36 it got me to thinking of just how new a concept this is. There have long been families of certain cultures where close extended families were the norm with adult un-married’s staying in or near the family home and financially or otherwise contributing to each other’s well being. Each generation was interdependent on the other usually to the benefit of all( grandparents helping with grand children and adult children in turn taking care of aging parents). The extremely nuclear family was a relatively new American concept. Of course each person should be able to grow and become independent of their parents but there is something to be said for healthy inter-dependence of families in this increasingly impersonal world. The keyword being healthy.</p>
<p>S2 did several week-long camps through the state board of ed (incredibly cool stuff, VERY cheap) starting after 4th grade. A couple involved studying oysters and planting bay grasses in the Chesapeake, which also involved MUCH mud. He was delighted. His favorite one, I think, was the camp where they spent a week on a replica 17th century working boat – no showers and they slept on deck, even if it rained. </p>
<p>He always took his oldest, grungiest sneakers and old crummy clothes, because most of the stuff never made it back into our house after being immersed in mud and muck for a week. One summer I hosed off the kid before I let him in to take a shower.</p>
<p>Cell phone? Would have been ruined the first day.</p>
<p>We have been taking the guys camping since S1 was 7 months old and I was pregnant with S2. They know all about dirt and are secure enough that they don’t need to call. Our only request is that when they travel solo, we get a call enroute if there’s an intermediate stop and then when they arrive.</p>
<p>I did enough Girl Scout camps to know things will generally work out fine. S2 did get a nasty rash once, and they took him to the doc. They gave him some meds and it was no big deal.</p>
<p>I think it’s about trust. If you can’t trust a camp can take care of child without your ‘presence’, don’t send them there. If can’t don’t trust your child can truly cope without you (I really believe all kids probably can compared to what we imagine), then don’t send them to camp yet. Or at least not that long. For goodness sakes.</p>