Letters From Home Can Be One Of The Best Memories Of Camp
By Donna Gordon Blankinship
I wish I had saved the letters my family wrote me at camp, because next to mosquito bites and new friends they're what I remember most from those summers away.
The best ones were dictated by my dog, Mr. Chips. My dad wrote down the message and Mr. Chips signed each letter with a paw print. His humorous reports on life at home made me look forward to mail call and I realized one of the fun parts about going to camp was getting letters.
My parents also wrote occasionally, as did my siblings and grandparents. At camp I learned that the best way to get letters was to write them. To this day, I enjoy writing letters to friends and family.
If you want to engage your children in the pleasure of letter writing, corresponding with them at camp is a good way to start. Camp letters also can help relieve homesickness by keeping your kids in touch with the family and letting them know you're confident they will have a great time.
You should follow a few simple guidelines when writing to children at camp, especially if homesickness is a problem.
Accentuate the positive and don't talk about the negative. Even if you've received one of those sad, "Come and get me" letters, you can still say something encouraging.
Reminisce about the good times you used to have at camp and say you're a little jealous that your child is there now and you're not. Don't talk about all the fun things the rest of the family is doing while they're away.
Give them a head start in writing back. If your children have never been very good letter writers, you may want to send them some self-addressed, stamped post cards from the Post Office. If you know they will need even more encouragement to respond, write your own return post-card leaving blanks for the kids to fill in a few words or check off some options.
For example, a self-addressed postcard could say: "Dear Mom and Dad, I'm having a __OK, __good, __great time at camp (check one). My favorite activity is _______. My best friend's name is _______. The thing I like best about camp is _______."
Write your first letter right away and strongly encourage siblings and grandparents to write. I remember one summer when I was at camp for six weeks and didn't get a single letter until the fourth week. Even though I was a high school student and had spent many summers away from home, I was ready to divorce my family when the first letter arrived.
Check camp policies before you send money or food. Some camps outlaw both and others require that you send enough cookies for the whole cabin or unit. Some other fun things to include in your letters are the Sunday comics, crossword or word search puzzles, stickers, a drawing by a younger sister or brother, or a story from the newspaper about the camper's favorite sports team.
Be creative. Don't be afraid of looking a little silly by taking the fun approach my dad took in his letters. Surprise your kids with your ability to be different and funny. And don't be surprised if a snake or raccoon writes you back.