Homesickness

Homesickness

Homesickness
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.87

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		apprehensive, psychological, separation, commonly, cope, depression, cases, decision-making, actually, especially, anxiety, counselor, fourth, likely, college, unfamiliar
	content words:		While Amy

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Homesickness
By Jennifer Kenny

¹     Amy was in the fourth grade. It was almost time for summer vacation. While Amy was very excited to have a break from school, she was getting apprehensive about her summer plans. This was the first summer that Amy would be attending "sleep away" camp. She would be going to a camp where she would stay away from home for several days, that's why it's called "sleep away" camp.

²     Sleep away camp can be a fun, exciting time away from home. It can be filled with adventure and be a time to create terrific memories. Visiting an out-of-town relative or going away to college can be an adventure, too. For some, though, feelings of nervousness can build up to the point that the individual wants to return home, to somewhere familiar. This is known as homesickness.

³     How can homesickness be considered an illness? It's a kind of anxiety experienced by people when they are away from home but really want to be somewhere familiar. It produces symptoms - psychological ones, or physical ones, or both. Most commonly, the symptoms include sadness and depression. The person may cry, withdraw from others, may not wish to enter into activities, or may have trouble sleeping. In turn, the person may act out and appear angry and frustrated in order to get attention. Sometimes the person is so anxious that physical symptoms appear such as stomachaches, headaches, or tense muscles.

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