MAIL CALL
KEEP YOUR YOUNG CAMPER HAPPY WITH LETTERS AND PACKAGES THAT SAY 'I LOVE YOU'
By Amanda Rogers
Special to the Star-Telegram
Via Star-Telegram
You've packed your young camper's bug spray, sunscreen and clean underwear. Now, it's time for something just as important -- the letter from home.
"There's nothing like a letter from home," said Sara Hatch, Camp Fire marketing coordinator for the outdoor division in Fort Worth. "It lets them know everything is OK at home. And they think, 'I'm not there, but they're still thinking of me.'"
And you should probably mail your letter before your child ever leaves for camp.
"We encourage parents to write before they get there," said Dr. Tim Jordan, a behavioral pediatrician who runs Camp Weloki in Missouri. "The first few days are the hardest. If you send a kid to camp on Sunday, then send the letter on Monday, it may not get there till Thursday."
Stay upbeat and keep it short. And once or twice a week is plenty, the pros say.
"If a kid is getting three letters a day, it's probably more the parents' problem than the kid's," Jordan said.
So should you expect a letter back? Better plan on packing some self-addressed, stamped envelopes in your kid's foot locker if you do. Even then, some kids won't write, the pros say.
"Hopefully, parents interpret that as their kids are having too much fun," Jordan said.
Jane Ragsdale, whose family owns Heart O' the Hills and Camp Stewart in Hunt, came up with a plan to get her uncommunicative son to write.
"He doesn't know what to say," Ragsdale said. "If I send him questions, he answers them. I ask him if he's heard any good jokes, how he did in the track meet, who are his new friends and if he's learned any new songs."
Although cellphones and the Internet are forbidden at a lot of camps, some, like Heart O' the Hills, allow campers to receive e-mail. Check out www.bunk1.com to see if your camp allows e-mail and to send your camper an electronic letter from home. The site also can help you shop for camp necessities and send a care package.
Packed with care
Nothing says "I love you" like a care package from home. So what to send and avoid?
Yes
Comic books, card games, puzzle books, stickers, disposable cameras and stuffed animals are affordable hits.
Stroll down the toy aisle at your grocery store and pick up those cheap toys your youngster always begs for, like parachute men, balsam airplanes and water guns.
Definitely send enough so that your camper can share with all of his or her new friends.
No
Most camps are not set up for food (you know, bugs and bears!), so skip the cookies and snacks unless you know the camp allows them, the pros say.
What to write
Tell them you hope they're having fun.
Tell them you can't wait to see them again and find out about what they've been doing and learning.
Remind them of an upcoming reunion, vacation or other event that they can look forward to after camp.
Tell them you are coming to get them at camp or wherever they are dropped off when camp is over.
Tell them you're proud of them.
Tell them you love them.
What not to write
Do not tell them their pet died or their best friend is moving away.
Do not tell them how much fun you're having without them.
Do not tell them they can call or come home if they are unhappy.
Do not tell them how sad or bored you are without them or how much you miss them. |
