Managing camp anxiety among children and parents

Children returning to camp this summer might feel excitement or anxiety, and parents might feel apprehensive for their children attending for the first time. While the fear around camp might be greater for some families after the catastrophic floods in Texas last year, a Baylor College of Medicine psychologist reassures families while validating their feelings. 

Kids often will exhibit an array of common anxiety symptoms related to camp. Beyond talking about it, younger children might mention stomach aches or other ways in which they do not feel well and may have trouble separating from parents. Other children also might verbally express their feelings and exhibit crankiness, sleep problems and appetite problems. 

Try to understand why your child might feel this way: Is it a change in attitude or feelings? If so, give them space to be themselves and have an opinion. Is it a scenario in which your child is anxious, but you know once they get to camp, they will have a great time? Encourage them to lean into this and take steps with them: Talk about it, visit the camp if it’s local, have them reconnect with other kids from camp from past summers and if they’re younger, read them stories about camp. 

“As a parent, you want to be compassionate, empathetic and reassuring toward your child’s fears, and at the same time, teach them that they are able to persevere or overcome things that are difficult,” said Dr. Eric Storch, professor and vice chair of psychology in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor.

The flooding event last year was a disaster, and Storch emphasizes that having a distressing reaction to that is completely normal. For nervous parents of first-time campers, he recommends doing due diligence into the camp to establish that it is an environment you feel is safe and comfortable for your children.

“It’s important to remember that the past events were things that were one-of-a-kind events. Try your best to keep that context in mind as you think about your own fear,” he said.

Provide reassurance for your child’s fears, whether they are realistic or unrealistic: “A parents’ role is to be supportive, reassuring and exude confidence in the child’s ability to contend in situations that might be difficult but still within their developmental realm of coping.”

For anxious parents, having a support system – partner, friends or family – can be beneficial. Try to shield your child from seeing your own worries about a situation, which might mean having a partner or family member taking the lead on managing situations, like drop-off or explaining camp. Storch recommends taking small steps to mitigate parental stress about being separated from kids: organize a sleepover with a friend or bring them to the camp and stay close by for a few days while the child gets acclimated to eventually see they can thrive on their own. 

“It is normal for kids and parents alike to be anxious. As parents, part of the role is to help children make decisions that they’re not always in a mindset to make, but you are confident that they should align their behavior with their values and that it’s going to be a positive growth experience,” Storch said. “Anxiety can often derail people from that action and value alignment, and for parents, one of the key elements is to really think about that and encourage their child when anxiety is getting in the way.”