Sylvia Rimm on Raising Kids by Dr. Sylvia Rimm

Q: What age would you recommend a child first attend a week of sleep away summer camp for the first time? My 8-year-old daughter has attended day camps before, but some of her friends at school are talking about overnight summer camp. What are your thoughts on this issue?

A: A recommendation for attendance at an overnight camp can vary considerably with the personality of the child and that child's past experience. In your case, because your daughter has already attended day camps and has had successful experiences, I think she's old enough to attend an overnight summer camp. Usually I recommend that a child's first camp experience away be only one week, but sometimes camps have a minimum of two and three weeks. Children feel a little more comfortable if they know at least one friend or sibling at the camp, so if her friends are going that can be reassuring.

Life experiences that make camp adjustment easier are previous vacations away from home like staying with grandparents, aunts and uncles and travel with family, Temperament can also make a difference. More socially outgoing children are likely to adjust easily compared to fearful anxious children. That doesn't mean that anxious children shouldn't go. Camp involvement can encourage their independence and confidence, but a shorter first camp experience might be easier for anxious children to adjust to.

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Teenager Struggles With Study

Q: My son is 16-years-old and claims that he cannot study for a long time.

Normally he studies fifteen minutes and he does something else. It's the same with homework; he cannot sit and finish his homework. At school he doesn't turn in his homework to the teacher. What do we do?

A: Your son's study problems could be real or imagined, but certainly they bear investigating. If this is a new problem, it could be that earlier learning problems caused it or it could be that he's anxious or discouraged. If you've observed similar problems in the past and they have gotten worse, it may be related to the longer or more difficult study that is required in higher grades.

Either away, avoiding study in high school can have a serious negative impact on your son's future. I would recommend your requesting that the school conduct an evaluation or that you check with a private psychologist. They may need to explore whether your son's problems are caused by learning disabilities, attention problems or motivational issues. My book "Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades And What You Can Do About It," (Great Potential Press, 2008) could be of help to you in understanding causes of his problems.

For free newsletter about learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and/or why bright kids get poor grades and what you can do about it send a self-addressed, stamped envelope and note with topic choice for each newsletter to address below. Dr. Sylvia B. Rimm is the director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the author of many books on parenting. More information on raising kids is available at www.sylviarimm.com. Please send questions to: Sylvia B. Rimm on Raising Kids, P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094 or srimm@sylviarimm.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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