I am a mom of four kiddos and we have done sleep away camp with the older two at the same camp where I attended camp as a child and had the absolute BEST time of my life. After two years it came out that the camp had a pretty big cover up surrounding sexual abuse between a camp director and kids who had attended in the years I attended as a child. It was a REAL wakeup call call for me and forced me to really engage this in an intentional and honest way. We pulled back and decided to used the money we had slotted for camp for longer family vacations over the next two years. My oldest is now entering HS and I find myself really longing for a space where he can disconnect from the outside world, connect with nature, and engage with new friends as he grows into a more mature version of himself. As we look for a new camp experience I am interviewing directors and researching their background. Unfortunately, think there is going to continue being issues, at camp, at school, at friends houses...nowhere is "safe" but as I have matured in my motherhood journey I feel more confident that I know how to navigate understanding when and where my kids feel comfortable, I am learning to hold space for their questions while keeping my fears at bay and opening curious conversation on what they need. I that that is very important when thinking about sleep away camp. Does your child want to go? Do they feel empowered to speak their mind, to seek help to advocate for themselves, to stand up for themselves. I have two who I feel are equipped to do that and two who I don't feel are quite there yet. Age is not the determining factor, although it does play a role. In closing, it's not easy and there isn't a "one size fits all" it's a year by year, kid by kid, camp by camp decision. But, what is ALWAYS right... YOUR MOM GUT! Trust that over everything and don't diminish your concerns, even when you don't have proof that they are valid. THEY ARE VALID!