Sleepaway Summer Camps and Divorce: How Parents Can Plan Ahead

In this episode of Divorce at Altitude, Ryan Kalamaya and Amy Goscha discuss how sleepaway summer camps can become a major issue in divorce and co-parenting cases. They explain why camps can be valuable for kids, why they often create conflict between parents, and how careful planning in a parenting plan can prevent unnecessary disputes.

Episode Highlights

Why sleepaway camp becomes a divorce issue
Summer camp is not just about fun. For divorced parents, it often means lost parenting time, extra expenses, travel logistics, and disagreements over whether camp is even a good idea. Ryan and Amy explain that this becomes especially important when parents already feel like they are losing time with their children.

The emotional side of camp for parents
One of the biggest drivers of conflict is emotional. A parent may feel that a sleepaway camp takes away precious summer time with their child, especially when parenting time is already divided. That emotional reaction can turn camp into a bigger fight than it might otherwise be.

History and family tradition matter
If a child has gone to the same camp for years, or if one parent has a personal connection to that camp from childhood, that history can make the issue more complicated. A legacy camp may feel deeply meaningful to one parent while the other sees it as unnecessary or one-sided.

Why early planning is critical
Many sleepaway camps fill up months in advance. Ryan and Amy stress that if parents wait too long to discuss camp, the issue can become a crisis. They recommend addressing summer camp deadlines early in the year and putting specific planning deadlines into parenting agreements.

Why judges are not the best solution for camp disputes
If parents wait until there is a fight and then try to get a judge to decide, it may be too late. Courts are unlikely to treat a summer camp disagreement as an emergency, which means the timing often makes litigation impractical.

What “nesting” means and why it matters
Although the main focus is summer camp, Ryan and Amy touch on nesting as another example of creative parenting solutions. In a nesting arrangement, the children stay in one home while the parents rotate in and out. They note that families in mountain communities may have housing setups, such as lock-offs, that make these arrangements more realistic.

What is Divorce at Altitude?

Ryan Kalamaya and Amy Goscha provide tips and recommendations on issues related to divorce, separation, and co-parenting in Colorado. Ryan and Amy are the founding partners of an innovative and ambitious law firm, Kalamaya | Goscha, that pushes the boundaries to discover new frontiers in family law, personal injuries, and criminal defense in Colorado.

To subscribe to Divorce at Altitude, click here and select your favorite podcast player. To subscribe to Kalamaya | Goscha's YouTube channel where many of the episodes will be posted as videos, click here. If you have additional questions or would like to speak to one of our attorneys, give us a call at 970-429-5784 or email us at info@kalamaya.law.

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DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS ON THIS PODCAST IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL ADVICE. CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE OR AREA TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY OF THESE ISSUES.