Hi all,
Looking for some opinions as I am really struggling to know what to do here. Apologies for the length!
I am a stay at home mum to DS1 (5) and DS2 (2). DS1 is just coming to the end of his Reception year.
DS1 can find social situations a little difficult if he doesn’t know any other children. He can be quite slow to make friends and feel comfortable, although the main issue is the initial breaking of the ice. Once he has begun playing with someone he is great and has excellent social skills. He has friends at school and enjoys their company.
Now to the issue at hand. We have a very long summer holiday ahead (8/9 weeks) and we don’t have friends outside of school with children the same age. Of course, we will arrange play dates with his friends but with people on holiday etc he will mostly be with me and his little brother.
I really want him to be able to socialise with children his own age and would like to send him to the summer camp at his school for a week. This is run by an outside agency so no familiar school staff etc.
I know he would love the activities but I’m worried he will feel really uncomfortable socially and not enjoy himself. There is one other child from his class going - he often talks about her but he doesn’t usually play with her. I think this will be a really good opportunity for him to have some fun and new experiences and quite possibly he will find some friends - over the last couple of months he has definitely become more confident.
On the other hand if I suggest this camp he will be absolutely against it and will probably be upset. Of course, if I was working there would be no choice, but I’m at home with his brother so there is another option!
I really just want to do the best for him. Do I push him out of his comfort zone and take the chance that he will have a brilliant time? What would others do??