Sleep Away Camps Are Closed – Now What?
If this time in our lives taught us anything, it is that we are resilient, resourceful, adaptable, and strong. This period of time we are living in is unprecedented…. Yes, I used the word that has been used over and over because it is accurate. This period of fluctuation that we have been living in is unprecedented. The normalcy for our children has been uprooted leaving them to hope for at least sleep away camps over the summer for something to do.
We learned how to work from home, school from home, change the parenting schedule with little or no help from the Court system. We juggled new routines with our exes or our soon to be exes. We followed a loose parenting schedule and adapted it to a routine that worked best for both parties, but at least there was a parenting schedule to live by.
A lot of Moms and Dads find themselves now in a position where their parenting agreement did not account for the summer because the children always attended sleep away camp. This last week has been just like “Jack and Jill” and they all came tumbling down. One by one, the sleep away camps in Pennsylvania, Maine, New York, The Berkshires, etc. announced sadly that Camp will not be a “go” this summer. Children and parents alike were crying. This was always a special time for children to unwind, have a break from the internet, social media and home; a time for parents to have a “vacation.” Yet this too was cancelled. Now what? Do we keep the same schedule? Should we do two weeks on, two weeks off? How do we get the downtime that we looked forward to in the summer?
Just yesterday, I got off the phone with a girlfriend of mine who was dreading having the conversation with her ex about the summer schedule because they never had to deal with it before. I reminded her that most things we are dealing with now are things we never had to deal with before but we are doing it, and doing it successfully. I suggested she not approach the topic with apprehension, but to keep a positive attitude as leading with negativity usually leads to negativity. Everyone is in the same boat and it can, and will, be figured out, whether the schedule stays the same or has some adjustments. Like I said earlier, we are living in unprecedented times.
