New experiences like summer camp can bring a flurry of powerful emotions for your child. Learn how to help your child process their feelings and fears about attending summer camp without running away from the situation altogether.
If your child reacts anxiously to new or unpredictable situations, it makes sense they might feel nervous about going to camp. Here are three things you can do to help your child as they consider going to camp this year.
Ask your child to share their fears. Write them down and talk about them. This will help them feel heard and will help you both keep track as they overcome their fears.
Help your child know that their fears make sense based on their thoughts and perceptions. You can boost your child’s confidence by helping them make sense of how they are feeling. For example, you can say, “If you think you’re going to be lonely or uncomfortable it will make you feel nervous and afraid. But I wonder if your thoughts are true What if your mind thought about the cool things that could happen since it is already thinking about what could go wrong? Can we explore that together? You might begin feeling some good things with the new thoughts you’re trying out.”
Provide your child with alternative thoughts. If they say, “What if no one likes me?” you can challenge that by saying, “How would it feel if you made a new friend?”
For more information about how to approach new situations like camp, explore our parenting tips for how to support your kids and handle difficult parenting decisions.
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Dr. Daniel Huerta is Vice President of Parenting and Youth for Focus on the Family, overseeing the ministry’s initiatives that equip moms and dads with biblical principles and counsel for raising healthy, resilient children rooted in a thriving faith.
He is a psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker, and the author of 7 Traits of Effective Parenting. For many years, he has provided families with practical, biblically-based and research-based parenting advice on topics including media discernment, discipline, communication, mental health issues, conflict resolution, and healthy sexuality in the home. He is passionate about coming alongside parents as they raise contributors, instead of consumers, in a culture desperately in need of God’s kingdom.
Dr. Huerta has been interviewed by various media outlets including Fox News, Fatherly, Christianity Today, WORLD Magazine, and CBN, and he is a frequent guest on Christian radio stations across the nation. He’s also written for publications, including The Washington Post, on various topics related to marriage and parenting. He participated in the development of Focus on the Family’s Launch Into the Teen Years, a resource to help parents prepare their kids for adolescence, and he speaks regularly at retreats, conventions, and online events.
Dr. Huerta has maintained a private practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado since 2003 and has served families through Focus on the Family since 2004. He and his wife, Heather, have been married since 1997 and love being parents to their three teen children, Alex, Lexi, and Maci.
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