Michael Thompson, Ph.D.

Homesick and Happy: How Time Away from Parents Can Help a Child Grow

Abstract

Research shows that today’s parents spend more time with their children, are more emotionally engaged and are committed to the success of their offspring. There is only one problem: there are actually many times when parental absence is the magic ingredient for a child’s development. In this talk, designed for parents and camp professionals, Dr. Thompson discusses the eight things you cannot do for your children and why summer camps and school trips offer a new venue for the child’s growth. Camps are often a place where children nurture their curiosity and creative powers, where they make great friends, and where they see the path to adulthood and leadership more clearly than they can with mom and dad looking over their shoulders.