Advice For Parents

Fewer kids are going to camp for the entire summer, mainly because of the large number of opportunities available to them. Many camps that have one- or two-week sessions with the option to attend three weeks or more, are finding that a majority of campers opt for shorter stays, while camps that offer operate on a four-, six-, or eight-week session are having to work extra hard to fill sessions. There is also a trend of campers arriving late or leaving camp early because of other...

It’s no exaggeration to say that this generation of campers, “Generation Z,” interacts with the world differently than generations before. The majority of this generation owns a smartphone, and they spend at least one hour a day online — with nearly half of them connected online more than 10 hours a day, according to Nielsen. These statistics may be alarming, but they also align with the reality of parenting these days – dealing with screen time allowance,...

As a child growing up in rural Connecticut, our daughter Janet had always been a bit of a homebody. Possessing a rather shy and reserved personality, she was a cautious soul – content to stick close to her family and friends, unwilling to “put herself out there” in uncomfortable social settings.  When it was time for college, we had assumed Janet would stay close to home. But she was unexpectedly awarded a generous college scholarship that was too good to refuse....

When we make decisions for our children the first thing we think about is safety, especially when choosing our child’s resident summer camp. This is because we are entrusting others to have the same instincts we have when it comes to our children. We consider the child’s physical safety, as well as their emotional safety. We ask questions about safety precautions, emergency procedures and more. What else should we consider when we are selecting an overnight experience for our...

The last eight years, areas of the economy that have been fairly predictable in the past have experienced a level of unprecedented uncertainty. But one thing is for certain — one of the most important, and largest, investments we make in life, and in our future, is in the raising of our children. In its 2014 Expenditures on Children in Families report, the United States Department of Agriculture tried to determine the average cost of raising a child from birth to the age of...