I switched my kids to cyber charter school for 2020/2021 when the public had no plan, and they spent a year isolated in our house. My oldest, a junior at the time took it upon herself to apply to boarding school as a repeat Junior. She totally reinvented herself. She had been super shy and hadn’t really connected well at our public school because she spent all her free time at dance. She is a totally different person, with lots of friends, and has matured and developed skills there that she never would have at home. My son spent 8th grade covid year at home. His 9th grade year back in school was a slow adjustment. He also is rather shy. He got a job at a friend’s restaurant which has forced him to converse with adult strangers, and he also has matured. Our daughter flew across the country last summer to visit a friend alone. I was a shy kid and my mom did things for me because I was shy- I make my kids do them!
Covid or no Covid, we required both our daughters to have jobs as soon as they were legally able to (part time during the school year, full time during the summer). This, in my opinion, is one of the best life-lessons you can give your child.
Older daughter worked in customer service and younger daughter was a server at a country club. In addition to developing interview skills, they learned to handle difficult customers, work with people they may not like, follow directions, ask for help when they don’t know something or can’t find something, negotiate pay and pay raises, how to fill out tax paperwork, how to properly resign from a job when they leave (and also how to reconnect when they want to come back). Not to mention the time management skills (you can’t just call in sick to a job because you have a big test the next day). Younger daughter was off work during the official Covid shut down but went right back at the end of May, as soon as the restrictions were lifted, wearing a mask in 90+ degree heat.
I couldn’t be prouder of the work ethic they have, and both chose on their own, to get part time jobs while in college because they liked the power to make and manage their own money. We live in a privileged area and my daughters were one of the few at their high school to have jobs - most parents I talked to would say that they only “work” they want their student to do is getting excellent grades. Well, both my girls worked, played varsity sports AND got excellent grades 
All of mine started working at 14 (part time during the school year, full time summers). They also got great grades, varsity sports, active social life, and developed great time management skills. They worked in college to pay for rent and food. My 19 year old worked at a garden center outdoors with a mask and restaurant indoors with a mask (would go from one job to the next, she loves working and hates that she’s only a TA because she lives off campus and doesn’t have a car, moving to downtown next year so she can work). Out of 5, 4 have very strong work ethics.
Agree that working is one of the best ways to improve maturity and independence and sometimes improves phone skills as well.
So true! A lot of these camps and activities are things that only well off families can afford. I know plenty of people who didn’t go on a plane until they were in their 20’s or even 30’s. They figured it out…not flying on a plane as a child, didn’t seem to hinder them in any way.
My kids worked part-time, we travelled and toured colleges together as a family, they made their own appointments as teenagers, etc. We don’t have public transportation in our area, that didn’t seem to hinder my D when she studied abroad in the UK in college, she figured it out. I don’t think touring colleges with your kids hinders their independence. Same with kids not going to summer camps. Also, I don’t think summer camp necessarily makes kids more independent. Some kids might be independent in some ways and not independent in others. People figure stuff out, not everyone gets to have every experience. Most people don’t travel much anyway…
In my day parents didn’t seem to overthink this sort of thing…
I had been to 2-week long overnight camps on a college campus, followed by 2 weeks staying with various friends in the state I used to live in, followed by a solo flight home, when I was in 10th and 11th grades. I still wouldn’t have been comfortable going to a campus, staying in a hotel on my own, and navigating tours and solo meals at 18. I had no issues once I started college, and even gave up a meal plan after the first semester, preferring to cook in our tiny kitchenette. My family was hours away and I didn’t go home for months at a time.
Honestly, even as an adult I still don’t love navigating public transportation or uber. I’ve done it, but it’s not a part of my daily life. I doubt I’m in a place with significant public transport more than every few years. I’ve never been bothered by navigating airports, though, and did it solo (and even harder, solo with a baby and a toddler!). Spouse, on the other hand, frequently travels for work to a few places that have public transport so it’s no big deal. Ever since the kids were younger we’ve had them navigate for us when we have extra time, so I think that they could do it if they had to. In our area, being comfortable driving for a few hours at a stretch is a more useful skill. We have older drive home from activities and recently kid to themselves to a camping activity 90 minutes away.
That being said, the covid effects probably vary a lot between regions. In our area, many things have been normal for a while. I turn over most schedule things in middle school and try not to manage unless asked for help. We homeschool, but I don’t interact with the teachers of outsourced classes - I have the kids email questions or ask after class. It’s the same with sports coaches or other instructors - I try to turn it over to the kids as soon as I can so that they are going to be comfortable asking a professor or registrar for help on their own. I had older drive through the drive through and do other driving tasks as soon as they got a license. Basically I try to put them in a position to do as much as they can while I’m still here to be the backup if I’m needed.
Nvm