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I am trying to find a good diabetic summer camp for Steven. These are basically like regular summer sleepaway camps, but with lots of medical personnel on hand and frequent blood sugar checks. They also work on educating the kids about diabetes, and help them with learning to inject themselves. If Steven could inject himself, my life would be much easier. The camps are for diabetics only- which we prefer. He knows a couple of kids with diabetes, but they are different grades at his school and they are not his friends. He's gone through his peer group not wanting him to touch them because they were worried they'd "catch diabetes". He just rolls his eyes. Thankfully he has his twin sister there to give them the "You're an idiot" look...
So I like that the camps are for diabetics only, but of course Isabel wants to go to a camp too. This leads me to a little dilemma. ALSO the camps all interfere with the summer swim season to some degree. Our team is not a very competetive team, but Steven is top of his age category and he wants to compete for the "top point" trophy and stuff like that. He has a little rivalry with a 10 year old swimmer this summer lol. But, it's a relaxed team in that if you miss a week, no one gets uptight.
There are a couple of options-- so chime in please if you have any opinions on the matter.
1) Send Steven to a camp for one week (6 nights) immediately following the end of our regular swim team season. The camp is only for diabetics, there is no other non-diabetic camp around that area... So Steven would be the only one at camp. We would have to take him out the last day of camp IF he is on a relay team that makes it to the all star relay meet. I don't think this would happen. I would say a 20% chance that could happen. And if he just wanted to miss the Big Meet they could put a sub in. I don't think his team would place in the Big Meet regardless.
Big downside with this option is that Isabel wouldn't go to a camp, unless I found some other camp to send her to. She'd be pretty upset to not go to camp...
2) Send Isabel and Steven both to the same camp-- But they'd be in different programs. There is another camp (it's a little farther away than camp 1-- in opposite directions of course!) that has a regular program, and then a diabetes program. They run separately completely, but the same location. So the kids would probably see each other around, but they wouldn't be together for activities or anything. The only camp session we could do though would be only 2 nights. I'm not sure that's worth it- Izzy has already had a 2 night camp last summer for Girl Scouts and she was ready to stay for more. Steven hasn't gone away to camp before, but he really wants to... And I don't think that in 2 nights he'd get enough out of the camp (I want him to make diabetic friends, learn to inject himself, be more indedpendent with carb counting...) for it to really help him with managing his diabetes. It's an introductory camp. That's about it.
Big downside is that this camp is really short. There is a longer option, but that's out because it would miss the Divisionals meet for the swim season and that is an important meet. He can't miss that. Plus the long session is really long- 9 nights! I think that may be a little too much. Big upside is that Iz and Steven could be at a camp at the same time. But then, again, there may be a downside from the "diabetes" aspect bc this camp has non-diabetics and diabetics all on the grounds. The non-diabetics would be running around with their candy bars and what not while the diabetics can't have snacks...
So, what would you do?
Any opinions on sleepaway camps? For first timers? DD15 went to sleepaway camp when she was going into 2nd grade LOL. It was a whole week and she only got upset when I came to pick her up. She actually threw a fit because she did not want to come home. But she has ALWAYS been fiercely independent...
Do you think it's fair for Steven to go to a camp if Isabel can not? Given that Diabetes Camp is a special type of thing? Do I really NEED to find a camp for her too?
Anyway, I have to decide Pronto bc these diabetes camps fill up very quickly. Sigh...
So I like that the camps are for diabetics only, but of course Isabel wants to go to a camp too. This leads me to a little dilemma. ALSO the camps all interfere with the summer swim season to some degree. Our team is not a very competetive team, but Steven is top of his age category and he wants to compete for the "top point" trophy and stuff like that. He has a little rivalry with a 10 year old swimmer this summer lol. But, it's a relaxed team in that if you miss a week, no one gets uptight.
There are a couple of options-- so chime in please if you have any opinions on the matter.
1) Send Steven to a camp for one week (6 nights) immediately following the end of our regular swim team season. The camp is only for diabetics, there is no other non-diabetic camp around that area... So Steven would be the only one at camp. We would have to take him out the last day of camp IF he is on a relay team that makes it to the all star relay meet. I don't think this would happen. I would say a 20% chance that could happen. And if he just wanted to miss the Big Meet they could put a sub in. I don't think his team would place in the Big Meet regardless.
Big downside with this option is that Isabel wouldn't go to a camp, unless I found some other camp to send her to. She'd be pretty upset to not go to camp...
2) Send Isabel and Steven both to the same camp-- But they'd be in different programs. There is another camp (it's a little farther away than camp 1-- in opposite directions of course!) that has a regular program, and then a diabetes program. They run separately completely, but the same location. So the kids would probably see each other around, but they wouldn't be together for activities or anything. The only camp session we could do though would be only 2 nights. I'm not sure that's worth it- Izzy has already had a 2 night camp last summer for Girl Scouts and she was ready to stay for more. Steven hasn't gone away to camp before, but he really wants to... And I don't think that in 2 nights he'd get enough out of the camp (I want him to make diabetic friends, learn to inject himself, be more indedpendent with carb counting...) for it to really help him with managing his diabetes. It's an introductory camp. That's about it.
Big downside is that this camp is really short. There is a longer option, but that's out because it would miss the Divisionals meet for the swim season and that is an important meet. He can't miss that. Plus the long session is really long- 9 nights! I think that may be a little too much. Big upside is that Iz and Steven could be at a camp at the same time. But then, again, there may be a downside from the "diabetes" aspect bc this camp has non-diabetics and diabetics all on the grounds. The non-diabetics would be running around with their candy bars and what not while the diabetics can't have snacks...
So, what would you do?
Any opinions on sleepaway camps? For first timers? DD15 went to sleepaway camp when she was going into 2nd grade LOL. It was a whole week and she only got upset when I came to pick her up. She actually threw a fit because she did not want to come home. But she has ALWAYS been fiercely independent...
Do you think it's fair for Steven to go to a camp if Isabel can not? Given that Diabetes Camp is a special type of thing? Do I really NEED to find a camp for her too?
Anyway, I have to decide Pronto bc these diabetes camps fill up very quickly. Sigh...
Maybe if you frame it right for I, she'd be more willing to accept something different to be fair. Really depends on the kid though.
and wants to be just like everyone else. My HS BF was a juvenile diabetic. It's unfair, and you need to connect to someone.
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