Your kid will never get a ’90s childhood.

Summer camp is the closest thing. No phones, real friends, and room to grow up a little.

I’ve been to 500+ camps in 47 states. If you’ve never thought about sleepaway camp, start here.

Those same streets where we used to have epic games of manhunt? Empty.

Our kids are shuttled off to practice and lessons, scrolling Snapchat, or in the basement mastering Fortnite.

And at home, you’re the one holding the line on screens. It’s exhausting, even with ourselves.

Camp is the last place kids still get that kind of freedom

When we asked our campers, only one out of dozens wanted her phone at camp.

The kids end up on your side.

Kids live with people they didn’t choose, and work it out without firing off a text.

With built-in cool older siblings who know when to step in and when to let kids figure it out.

Several years ago I said I’d never send my kids to sleepaway camp. I was wrong. Now both my sons love everything about it.

A camp parent

Take the quizTwo minutes. Is your kid ready? Are you? 14 quick questions from a camp director who meets every new family in their living room.“Seven days with no texts from your kid. How does that feel?”
Pick two or three campsUse the basics to rule camps out. Here’s how.
Talk to the directorIf you get a good vibe from the director, you’re 99% of the way there.

Most parents think homesickness is all about their kid missing home. It’s not. Watch this first.

Sending your kid to sleepaway camp is a big leap. It’s like going to college, except instead of being 18, you’re 9.

I’ve spent 30 summers at camp, visited 500+ more, and trained 10,000 counselors. In 2025 I bought Camps Kenwood & Evergreen in New Hampshire.

Jack