Recession-Proof? Summer Camps Charging $9,000 a Camper Sold Out

[RamboLiberal]

Some of Gennifer Birnbach's fondest memories come from her childhood in summer camp. So this summer, despite being out of work for more than a year, she and her husband are paying $8,000 to send their two children off to camp.

"This economy is awful," the Westchester, N.Y., resident said. "My husband and I are both out of work right now. Our kids know that things are tight. They see it, they feel it, but I don't want to have them feel it as much as we are feeling it."

As the recession forces families to make difficult choices, parents across the country seem generally reluctant to cut spending on their kids and many summer camps, which are a rite of passage for some, appear to be holding their own, especially at the higher end.

Birnbach spent eight years at Summer Trails Day Camp in Westchester, starting in 1974 when she was 4. After two summers at sleep-away camp, she returned to work there as a counselor. Her daughter Remi Hoffmann -- who turns 6 next month -- started at Summer Trails last summer. Her son Owen, who is about to turn 4, will start this summer.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=7596475&page=1

Some parents in this country are NUTS! I would think it would be better to put that $9,000 away unless you can really, really afford it towards college.

[cali]

1. the people that can spend $,9,000 on camp can afford it.

[OHdem10]

2. For people who can afford this--this is pocket change to them.

How we forget--we are a society of haves and have nots.

It is difficult to understand the mindset of each, is it not??

[RamboLiberal]

4. Yep - wish this is all I had to give up

From OP Story.

"When you're setting the priorities as to what to cut back on, your children's social education is not going to be one of them," Jacobs said. "You'll cut the new car or the private plane for your trip to someplace. You might cut a lot of other luxuries. You won't buy that new diamond necklace this year, but when it comes to what the children will do, you're going to take care of them."

[Jennicut]

3. I worked at a summer camp in CT every year during college breaks.

The parents were majorly wealthy. Many of them are not affected. But if you cannot really afford it you have to tell the kids. Sometimes you have to do without. Spoiling your kid constantly and keeping the truth hidden will make them worse they letting them down a little.

[Javaman]

5. "My husband and I are both out of work right now."

and yet they fork out 9 grand?

Something is not right here.

Either they haven't learned a thing from "recent events" and took out a massive equity loan or they are well off and don't really need their jobs or the are a part of society that I like to refer to as the "blatantly stupid sector".

No jobs and they piss away money on a ridiculous summer camp? maybe they just want get rid of their rug rats for the summer?

Come the fall and if they are still out of work and the savings are just about gone, they will look upon this time and say, "what the fuck were we thinking?"

Ah the disconnect. It only reconnects when they realize they can't make their bills.

so many people in this nation have forgotten the term, "save it for a rainy day".

[kestrel91316]

6. The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. Oh, and

the middle class is becoming a distant memory. Sort of like in the book Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, if we keep heading down this road.

But OTOH, I am wildly in favor of separating the people with this kind of money to spend on recreation from as much of it as possible, as quickly as possible. Some of it will trickle down to the Little People, and some will wind up in tax coffers.