Information on Military Boot Camps

Military boot camps are camps where adolescents are trained by military personnel to endure the rigors and discipline of military life. Parents of teens who are out of hand send them to boot camps after exhausting all other methods of making them behave better. The structured discipline imparted to teens to take on the challenges of a life serving in the military prepares them to become more responsible and well adjusted adults.

Military boot camps give the same instruction and indoctrination that is given to new cadets who join the armed forces, to teenagers. The instructors are senior or retired military personnel. Typically programs are held for a period of four to six weeks. All communication with friends and family are cut off while at the camp. Limited communication through telephone or letters is allowed. The young men and women do drills and sporting activities. They are expected to do their own chores and adhere to a stringent routine. They are encouraged to solve their emotional problems through discipline and hard work.

Military boot camps are beneficial   to troubled teens. It teaches them the qualities of discipline, leadership and training for a systematic and sensible lifestyle. All the beneficial qualities that are attributed to the military system are imparted to adolescents. They learn to cope with themselves, their problems and with others. They learn to face the hardship of the real world with courage and rectitude.

Military boot camps have their disadvantages in helping troubled teens. The discipline taught at the camps is too harsh and may have an adverse effect on a troubled teen. Parents should consult with a qualified counsellor before taking the step of sending children to structured camps. Insubordination is not tolerated at the camps even if the insubordination is reasonable. Some programs are expensive and unruly behavior will result in expulsion before completion and the teen will not be re admitted once expelled. Experts believe that teaching  blind obedience will not help to develop a rational attitude or spirit of enquiry in adolescents.

The significance of military camps is that they teach teens to act responsibly and in a disciplined manner with their peers and with their parents. They help to make the teen emotionally and physically tough. Their mental balance improves when they follow a regimented routine. The lessons taught at military boot camps are lessons that will keep adolescents in good stead all their lives.

The effects of teen behavioral improvement at a military boot camp are that teens get rid of their negative attitudes and learn to face life positively and with confidence. A range of problems from addiction to psychological disorders can be treated at military boot camps. The routine demands hard work and discipline and leaves no room for negative thoughts or behavior.

Military boot camps can help discipline troubled teens. However, experts believe that sending teens to the harsh disciplining atmosphere of a military boot camp must be a last resort option for parents.