Links and Tips
With over 100 years of camping experience and working with young boys and men, we have a good deal of insight to the needs and concerns of both parents and campers. As the majority of this web site indicates, our focus is on the growth and development of boys. By doing this consistently well, we also aim to help parents learn the difficult art of 'letting go' — to trust their son's ability to make friends and to grow in independence and maturity in a safe and caring environment. In success and in challenge, young boys and men learn essential, lifelong skills. Pemi is dedicated to supporting our campers and their parents in that journey.
Our Parent Handbook provides extensive, detailed information on numerous topics. Here are a few tips:
Letter-Writing
Write letters! Each camper has his own mailbox and checks it at noon. You might want to send a letter a week before arrival day to be sure that your son has something waiting for him. Please remember: no food of any kind should come in envelopes or packages, and packages should be flat-envelope style with no more than 1 per week. For proper mailing addresses for letters and packages, see Contact Us .
Model for your son the effort and enthusiasm that it takes to write a good letter. Hand-written communiqués mean more than "stuff," so write often. Please don't provide rich and vivid detail of all the fun trips and activities you are participating in while your son is at camp, and please don't tell your son how sad you or your pets are without him. This makes it hard for him to connect with camp life. Give a sweeping update on what you're up to; keep the focus on his camp experience and ask him questions about life at Pemi. Once you receive a letter from him, base your next letter on what he's written. This back and forth is excellent training for your boys in learning how to write, and eventually will lead to the detailed letters that you crave (not to mention providing great fodder for his future biographers!).
Homesickness
For Parents
The first letters home often convey genuine excitement about the unfolding season. If tried-and-true patterns persist, however, some of these epistles may well display signs of homesickness. This is normal, and eloquent testimony not only to the warmth of your homes but also to the important challenge that the camp experience represents in young lives. If there are three times that bring a little wistfulness to boys away from the nest, though, they are mealtimes, bedtimes, and letter-writing times. In any given time during the season (though primarily in the first week) we monitor a handful of cases of homesickness and make slow and steady progress. Online photos may show the campers at their happiest. Their letters may show them at their saddest. Fair warning, we trust. Please be assured, though, that staff and administrators are very attentive to every boy's adjustment and will be in touch with you if the scenarios seem to be anything but normal and moving towards a positive resolution. By the same token, please feel free to communicate with us if you have special concerns.
For Boys
Click here for a letter to boys regarding homesickness.
What to expect post-camp
Once your son returns from his time at Pemi, expect a lot of joyful stories and conversation. Over the next few days, your son will undoubtedly sleep some long hours and in some cases you might even sense some grumpiness. Keep in mind that this isn't a reflection of his being back with you, but rather a response to missing those things that you wished for him to experience at Pemi…making new friends and gaining self-reliance. He'll bounce back to the boy you know…perhaps a bit taller, with a few more decision-making skills, and if you're lucky, maybe he'll even continue to make his bed.
