As a mother of an eight year old kid, a boy at that, I start dreading the words” summer holidays” long before my son’s holidays actually starts! No, I am not a full time working mom, if you are thinking it that way! But still I find it extremely tough to keep my son engaged the entire day without uttering the sentence “ I’m feeling bored, nothing to do at home!” at least 10 times in a day. So, like most other harried parents, I started frantically searching for summer camps, which have emerged today as a useful means of acquiring new skills and developing one’s interests with fun filled activities and games.

In Bangalore there is no dearth of summer camps, for all age groups, promising to refresh and stimulate the children with physical, intellectual and cultural exercises. But sadly, the real picture is not as rosy and promising as it looks. Nowadays, there are summer camps at every nook and corner, offering ten courses in cramped rooms. Though the prime objective of these camps should be to make children realize that learning is a continuous process and they start looking forward to it, in most cases it becomes a respite for the parents for the stipulated time period when the children are not there at home; irrespective of whether they are actually spending quality time or not in the camps. In fact, some of these camps charge a lot of money, and they seem to benefit the organizers more than the children.

Kids nowadays are intelligent, aware and energetic. Their energy should be channelized in the right direction. Sumer camps are a good platform for curricular and co-curricular activities, they help to develop team-spirit and inculcate self-discipline and independence. However, after a grueling academic year children fervently look forward to a long summer vacation for a much needed break. So, summer camps should not be thrust on the children unless it is truly rewarding and not tedious.

Thanks to over-ambitious parents and our education system, today children hardly find time for themselves. They are deprived of their right to enjoy childhood. Attending a summer camp during holidays may not be a bad idea, but let children decide on it. What do you feel?