Manda, I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you have a spouse that works to support you and the kids. Those of us who do not have a spouse or any other form of support have very limited choices. We can either: 1. work to feed our families and put the kids in camp ("Maybe I can pay someone else too do it, then complain about how much it costs to pay someone else to raise my child"), or 2. we keep them home with us and severely limit the capacity to earn a living with them underfoot ("I am annoyed by my bored and whiny children)". Not a fun pair of options. Nonetheless, they have been MY only options for at least five years. Single moms who do not receive support from ex-husbands would LOVE the luxury of choosing. That would make things so much more relaxed and enjoyable for all. And the thought of then being able to pick and choose bonus activities to explore talents... that just seems like a far-off dream to me. I can't imagine that latitude and great good fortune. As it stands, I will be trying to work from home at a computer that is five feet from the TV in the only common space we have in this fourteen hundred square foot house with no air conditioning. So, no, I don't feel like mom of the year, knowing that I will want to stuff them into duffel bags after about two weeks of ninety-five degree temperatures, but we are a family and we get through things together. Seriously, I want to weep at the concept of actually having a choice, and at the thought that others don't even realize that there is a gulf between those with support and help, and those who are completely on their own.

Amanda, With all due respect, I think your comments are a little unfair. VERY few moms look forward to being away from their child while they go to work and make a living. For the vast majority of us, we are making a tough choice on who will care for our children while we have to be away from them. My son is only 2, so I haven't had to deal with the summer camp issue yet, but I can tell you that my husband and I have both struggled, prayed, cried, stressed and damn near pulled our hair out to find the perfect sitter to care for our son when we're at work. Do we enjoy leaving him every day? Of course not. Do I wish that I could stay home with my child? More than anything. For us, however, the reality is that we both have to work right now to support our family. I think it's a little presumptive of you to say, "after I have sent them AWAY to be taught life lessons by someone else whom I have NO IDEA their values and ideals and morals." I can assure you that choosing a caregiver for our children is not a task that we take lightly. We do thorough back ground checks, we spent time with the family on the weekends, and ask that they submit to a drug screen. To suggest that just b/c some mothers are sending their children to summer camp means that they have no idea what is going on there, seems like a bit of a stretch to me. Leslie

manda, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that your comments were well-meaning, although they are coming off as a bit harsh. However, I got the impression that you took some of the light-hearted commentary of the panelists in the video a little too seriously or literally. While they talk about not having the perfect camp fit and telling the kids to "suck it up," I'm sure that doesn't mean that they haven't done their very best to find a camp with counselors that at base they trust with their children and share certain values with. I think the point was just that kids can learn the life lesson at camp that not everything is always going to be perfectly, exactly how you might want it to be, but you make the most of it. And when the video talks about being stuck with whiny or bored children, I think they're just making the point that there are trade-offs with any decision that you make. In this case, if you go the route of not attending camp, perhaps giving your child more freedom in his or her day to explore individual interests at their own pace, you'll probably also have to accept the reality that inspiration may not strike every day -- there may be some days when your kids are just bored and you wish you had gone the camp route. I don't know - that's all I took Asha's statement in the video to mean, anyway. Not that she's complaining about being with her children. I hope this discussion of the merits of summer camp doesn't turn into a working mom vs. SAHM debate of sorts, which it kind of seems to be. Everyone should do what's best for them (whether it's working or not working, sending your kids to camp or not) and accept that it's okay that we're not all going to make the same choices -- we're all different people facing different challenges and circumstances. And on top of it, we have different individual preferences, too, even if all of our choices were the same (which of course they are not).

For you to assumme that you have full knowledge of what your child is doing at camp, especially an away camp, is just as dangerous. Does the "couselor" who sleeps in the same bunk as your daughter have a boyfriend at camp that she sneaks away to have sex with? Does she answer questions your daughter has about sex but may be to afraid to ask you? And in doing so, maybe encourage your daughter to have sex before she is ready... because she wants to be like her 'cool' counselor? Does she talk about drinking or doing drugs like its cool? Think about it...what ydid you talk about with your girlfriends when you were young? Does the counselor who is paired up with your son's bunk have an obsession with big boobs and talks about banging his girlfriend all the time? Or does he have a drinking problem and lets your son take a sip of his beer? Does he talk about religion, sex, politics?? All with opinions that differ from your beliefs? You don't know. Just be real ladies. You don't know, and its a chance you are willing to take. Everyone of you who has disagreed with me and my opinion (which I find amusing as this is supposed to be a momversation, but only when you all agree?) share one thing in common. You believe your choices to send kids away are your only choice. Let me tell you something. I don't drive the best car.... because I want to stay home with my kids. I don't wear nice fashionable clothes and have trendy handbags and cute shoes...because I want to stay home with my kids. I don't go out with girlfriends and have expensive 'girl' nights out.... because I want to stay home with my kids. My husband didn't buy the motorcycle or boat he wanted...because he wants me to stay home with the kids. My husband doesn't work the hours he wants to work (a 40 hour work week) ...because he wants me to stay home with the kids. Its called sacrifice. I belive that my childrens future is more important then my immediate wants. Therefore I make the sacrifices to make that happen. Women get so defensive about this issue because they want to believe that the choice they have made is the ONLY choice they have. It is not.

Living in NYC, there's so much fun, free things to do during the summer that they'll only get "bored" if they choose to do so! GREAT point Kimberly. Sounds like you are an amazing parent!

I don't plan on sending my kids to camp for the summer. I realize that I'm very blessed because my husband and I have been able to build a very kid-friendly llifestyle so I don't have to work (even though I work around their schedules). I will probably sign my oldest (5) up for one thing that he's really interested in. (He goes back and forth between swimming, tennis and golf.) Other than that, we're going to CHILL. Living in NYC, there's so much fun, free things to do during the summer that they'll only get "bored" if they choose to do so! (Besides, after this year's 3 - 4 hours/day preschool commute, I think that we all need a break...)

I was a free-range kid. Where I grew up in Texas, camp wasn't really a tradition anyway (except for church-sponsored day camps, which I wanted no part of). In a way it was tough, because the high temps meant that my brother and I didn't leave the safety of air conditioning much during the day, so we spent a lot of time watching TV and getting on each other's nerves. And I do remember more than once calling my mother at work to tell her I was bored. But I also remember riding bikes to the community pool or the library; spending hours in my bedroom reading, writing, or listening to music; and learning how to make lunches for myself. When we got a little older my brother and I would take the little-used suburban bus system to the movie theater or the mall. And every Friday my dad would come by to take us to our favorite sandwich shop for lunch. There's value in learning how to just be with yourself, without distractions. At school I was defined by my grades and my dedication to sports; during the summers I learned who I was outside of those activities.

Wow, really? Having to work is an excuse? I... wow. I'm flabbergasted. I pray that you become less judgmental and close-minded, but I have a feeling that's not going to happen any time soon.

As a child, I have great memories of spending my summer days lazing, exploring, watching TV and basically having a grand time at my babysitter's house. My sister and I went with five other family friends (our parents were all friends), all close in age, and we loved it. That being said, I would have KILLED to be able to go to camp, even just for a week. I seriously thought it was just something the kids in movies did until I had my own children! We're sending our 5-year-old to camp once a month this summer in an effort to break up the long stretch. She's loves the camps we choose, and she'd go every day if we let her! I'm lucky enough to have in-laws who care for my kids while my husband and I work, so my 5-year-old will also have swim lessons at their pool, and we take a week at the beach. My 1-year-old won't do half as much as my 5-year-old, but he'll have more opportunities as he grows! As much as I don't want to be a part of this conversation, I can't NOT say this: Manda2177, it offends me that you assume I work just to have expensive cars or live a fancy lifestyle. Most moms I know who work (including me), do so to help provide for our families. NOT to keep up with the Joneses. The simple truth is, I'm the breadwinner in my family. I do what I have to to help pay our bills. My money doesn't go to buy expensive cars, fancy clothes and handbags or nights on the town. For most of us, it IS the only choice. Don't assume we're all in your (lucky) position.