The Mini-Yo-We Mom’s Podcast
Episode #3 – How does Camp deal with bed-wetting, home sickness, special diets and more?
Welcome to this episode of the Mini-Yo-We Mom’s podcast. Christine is joined by her friends Heather and Amy for today’s podcast. The three have been friends for a long time and worked as LITs at Camp Mini-Yo-We. They start off this podcast with memories from their time at camp. One of the most memorable is about one summer when the three of them started a beauty club during their time there. They would do their nails and makeup, and one day decided to trim each other’s hair. Amy’s hair was curly and as they trimmed it, everything looked fine. But after a lost child drill Amy came back with wet hair, which showed the truth—Christine didn’t have a natural talent for being a hairdresser! They can laugh about it today and it makes for one of their most memorable times at camp. Your child is sure to come home with many of their own memories that will last throughout their lives.
When dropping off your child at camp, especially for the first time, one concern for parents is how Camp Mini-Yo-We deals with issues that may arise during the time the campers are there. These can include bedwetting, homesickness, and other issues. Christine, Amy, and Heather talk today about how the camp handled these situations among their own kids.
- Bedwetting Among Younger Kids // A common issue among the younger kids is bedwetting. Heather had a child who was still wetting the bed during his first year at camp. During the drop off, she pulled a cabin leader aside and explained the situation and that they had a pack of Pull-Ups, but that her son was embarrassed about it and didn’t want the other kids to know. The cabin leader assured her that it would be no problem. He took the Pull-Ups and each night he would discreetly give Heather’s son one so that he could go into the bathroom and change, and then in the morning the cabin leader gave her son a plastic bag so he could change out of the Pull-Up and dispose of it without the other kids knowing. At the end of the week, her son was totally fine with everything and had had no embarrassing issues.
- Surprise Bedwetting // Even though your kid may not still be in the bedwetting stage at home, sometimes a surprise incident can occur while at camp. Another situation involved one of Heather’s children who didn’t have a bedwetting problem at home. But one night he had played hard and so he was exhausted and slept deeply. In the morning, his sleeping bag was wet from where he’d wet the bed. When he got home, he told his mom that the sleeping bag was dry and didn’t smell anymore when he got back to his cabin that night. Unknown to him, the cabin leader had taken his bag and washed it while he was playing and then discreetly returned it to his cabin to keep the kid from embarrassment among his friends. Parents can be confident that the cabin leader are trained well in how to deal with situations like this. They are able to handle it discreetly to save the kids from further embarrassment or being singled out among their friends.
- Homesickness // Homesickness is often another issue kids and parents must deal with. One summer Amy was volunteering at camp and decided to peek in on her daughter at Discovery and say hello. This backfired—while her daughter had been having fun before her mom arrived, the homesickness hit so suddenly that she started crying uncontrollably when she saw her mom. The cabin leader stepped in and talked soothingly to her to calm her down and reassured her that everything was okay, and this allowed Amy to step away, confident that the cabin leader could handle the situation. Camp is a great way for kids to learn independence and learn to be more comfortable being away from home at times.
- Special Diets // Food allergies and intolerances can be a big problem for a lot of kids. The kitchen at Camp Mini-Yo-We has a list with kids’ names and what foods they can or cannot eat. There is a special team that works in one part of the kitchen to cook foods to accommodate these special diets. There are always three nurses and a lot of times a doctor in camp that can treat food allergies or any other problems that may arise during the week.
To assure yourself that your child’s needs will be handle discreetly and appropriately, talk with your child’s cabin leader before you leave to let them know of any special concerns that may arise during the week. The cabin leader at Camp Mini-Yo-We are well-trained to handle a variety of needs among the kids.
Ways to keep in touch with your campers while they’re at Camp Mini-Yo-We:
- Follow Mini-Yo-We on Instagram and Facebook. Parents can see pictures and videos of the kids taken during the week.
- Email your kids through the camp office. You can also send letters through the mail or leave letters with the camp office to be delivered during the week.
- Don’t call the office to ask how your child is doing. The staff in the office aren’t cabin leader working with the kids, so they don’t know your child personally.
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