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The cost of a boot camp is in most cases not as much as other types of camps. The question perhaps though should be can you afford not to send your teenager to boot camp?
If your son or daughter is lying, running around with the wrong crowd, skipping school, experimenting with drugs and alcohol, etc, then now is the time to seriously consider giving them some practical help. One very real consideration and possible solution is a boot camp. Boot camps are run for both boys and for girls.
Boot camps are held for all sorts of people on all sorts of topics and one such person and topic is a troubled teenager. Here the boot camp operates using tight schedules, strict discipline with a no-frills approach. It’s a short, sharp treatment designed to snap your child out of their wrong attitude and bad habits. Hopefully the treatment will be enough to turn around their life and get you and your family back as a happy and healthy unit.
Boot camps work using the reward and punishment system. If the teenager does as he or she is told, they are rewarded. If they don’t do as they are told, they are punished. It’s a pretty much black and white world. There is little room for negotiation. And many parents know this system just doesn’t work at home whereas in an isolated and often rural environment of a boot camp, defiance has its costs. Most teenagers react well to this carrot and stick approach with the majority choosing the carrot.
Boot camps remove your troubled teenager from their friends, old haunts and habits. The new environment, not to mention the program with its strict discipline, may well give your child the confidence they need to snap out of their defiant state.
Typical Costs of a Bootcamp
Comparatively speaking, boot camps are not expensive. Most programs last 30 days and costs can be anywhere from $2000 to $5000. Some exceptional boot camps will cost more. And usually this is an all-in or complete fee. All board and activities are covered by this charge. Teenagers who attend do not need to bring anything other than basic clothing and toiletries. Everything else is usually provided and covered by the one-off payment. So can you afford it? Well if you compare the costs of other types of facilities and the fact that some types of camps last twelve months or longer, then a boot camp is cheap. When you consider the cost to the life and wellbeing of your teenager and your family, then again the cost is next to nothing.
Of course you may be struggling financially and $2000 may be a hardship. If so you could try seeking help regarding this cost. Many boot camps are run by state authorities and you could try asking for special consideration given your dire financial situation.
Who Should Go to a Boot Camp?
For some time teenage boot camps were seen as an alternative to jail. Today they are primarily for adolescents who have gone off the rails and need some discipline they are not getting at home or at school. So the first requirement is that your teenager is in trouble without being arrested, in jail or about to be sentenced. You want to prevent any and all of these things happening so you pay for a month or two at a boot camp.
It’s important that you as a parent understand this. Not every teenager is suitable for a boot camp and not every teenager is eligible. If your troubled need is in need of serious emotional support, that requirement is less likely to be met in a boot camp than in a facility designed to work on the emotional side of the child. You may think a boot camp is the best place for your son or daughter but it is important you have a professional assist you in making the choice.
The right boot camp for a runaway who needs some structure in their life could be the perfect choice. But be sure before you make the decision.
Strangely enough a boot camp can be a good place for a teenager who is not in the defiant and lying stage of their life. A teenager who perhaps is lazy and lacks direction in their life could benefit greatly from thirty days in a tough atmosphere. So parents with that type of son or daughter may well consider helping their child through a stay in a boot camp.
Requirements
One feature of many boot camps today is the high level of training and professionalism of the staff. Most boot camps welcome enquiries from parents worried about their teenager. As a parent, you would do well to make contact by phone or email and discuss your child and ask about the facilities and program of each particular boot camp. You want the best option for your son or daughter. Have a list of questions. Ask yourself; what would I want my child to achieve by attending a boot camp. With that in mind, draw up a list of questions which could include some like the following.
- What requirements does the camp have regarding teenagers?
- What does my child need to provide?
- What activities will you require my child to participate in?
- What follow-up activities do you offer once my child leaves your camp?
These questions and others will greatly assist you in making the right choice.
Summary
Boot camps can be tough on teenagers and this may be exactly what is required. You need to forget the stereotypical image of some brutal sergeant screaming at frightened children. Sure there is a strict regime and activities are hard and demanding but this is the nature of a boot camp.
One aim is make the teenager find confidence and appreciate direction. They can gain pride and self-respect in achieving tasks. They are apart from their places and the people who were an essential part of their poor choices lifestyle. In this new situation they have an excellent chance to turn their life around.
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