Mom Is Torn About What to Do After Her Daughter Called Her Crying Over Lack of Friends at Summer Camp

A worried parent is unsure whether to let her tween leave summer camp early.

The mom shared on the community forum Mumsnet that her 12-year-old daughter called her in tears while attending a week-long sleepaway camp 150 miles from home.

The daughter isn’t allowed to have a cellphone, but she used a camp computer to call her mom “to say she is having a bad time and wants to come home.”

The mother said her daughter was crying and claimed the other girls at the camp “are not being nice and there’s not much to do.”

The tween was assigned to share a tent with the other girls, but she said they are not spending time with her.

“She has one local friend who’s there but [she’s] snubbing her now [that] they are there,” the mom wrote.

The parent said it “breaks my heart a bit to have her crying and wanting to come home.” She wants to pick her daughter up early, but her husband “says it’s nuts and she’ll be fine.”

She also mentioned that she works in the mental health field, which her husband believes may be affecting her judgment.

People commenting on the post were quick to sympathize with the mom, though some suggested she consider other options before taking her daughter home.

“I would already be on the motorway,” one person wrote, while another recommended she “have a chat with the adults at the camp first.”

Another commenter noted that the experience might be helpful for the daughter in the long run. “If you work in mental health you should know that it’s not bad for kids to feel difficult feelings. It’s bad for them to be left alone with those feelings. She’s not alone—you’ve listened to her and will comfort her when she gets home,” the post said.

A third commenter emphasized the importance of respecting the daughter’s feelings. “Go and get her: she’ll really appreciate it. It shows her you take her seriously and will be there for her if she needs picking up when she is unhappy,” they said.