Abbreviations can be a god-send for parents with way too much to share in just one page (that’s the limit at our camp). And kids love the texting abbreviations they use with their friends too. Not that they’ll want to share with you.  But they may get a kick out of an abbreviated email from you. Or not. But you won’t know until you try… WTG (way to go)!

Check out the sample letter (with translation) below:

The Letter

DD,

Sup?  We’re having a good summer so far IMHO – even though it’s lonely without u.  WBU?  How is camp?  R u having fun meeting new kids?  What’s ur favorite activity?

OATUS, Sparky the dog was chasing his tail last night and it was so funny Dad and I were ROFL. LOL, it was funny!  SFSG with his potty training – no mess yet. LOL!

BTW, IDK about u, but IDC if I ever have turnips again because they are gross!  JK – As if I’d ever ever eat turnips!

JTLYK, Dad and I are going on a trip to NYC next week to see what it’s like to be in a small city.  LOL. OMG I am so funny.  NM, that was lame.  Wuteva… Anywho, we’re GTG, so I’ll say bibi.  BISLY

CYA, er CUL8R

IMHO

We love you. TTYL

XOXOXOX

Mom

B4 I forget – wtg on winning the swim meet!

The  Translation

Dear Daughter,

What’s up?  We’re having a good summer so far in my humble opinion – even though it’s lonely without you.  What about you?  How is camp?  Are you having fun meeting new kids?  What’s your favorite activity?

On a totally unrelated subject, Sparky the dog was chasing his tail last night and it was so funny Dad and I were rolling on the floor laughing. Laugh-out-loud, it was funny!  So far, so good with his potty training – no mess yet. Laughing out loud!

By the way, I don’t know about you, but I don’t care if I ever have turnips again because they are gross!  Just kidding – as if I’d ever ever eat turnips!

Just to let you know, Dad and I are going on a trip to NYC next week to see what it’s like to be in a small city.  Oh my god I am so funny.  No matter, that was lame.  Whatever… Anywho, we’ve got to go, so I’ll say bye bye.  But I still love you.

See you, er see you later

We love you. Talk to you later

XOXOXOX

Mom

B4 I forget – way to go on winning the swim meet!

Resources

• About.com: Top Texting Abbreviations 2012
• NetLingo: The List of Chat Acronyms & Text Message Shorthand
• The Letters to Camp Blog: 7 Point Font & Other Acts of Desperation
• The Telegraph (UK): Text messaging ‘improves children’s spelling skills’

For many northern camps, today is the Monday morning after visiting day or the day after second/third session drop-off. Since this Monday can be a challenging one for many parent letter-writers, we’re taking a break from the usual suggestions on what TO write to your camper. Instead, take a look at the following letter to  see a few obvious pitfalls to avoid (at least we hope they’re obvious!). See the bottom of the post for more on what TO write. 

Dearest, Dearest Emily,

Your counselor told us that you were the most homesick camper they’ve ever seen. She said that your crying was keeping your bunk awake at night and that your letter-writing wasn’t leaving much time to take advantage of great camp activities like parasailing, parachute class, and hang-gliding. She said that, with all of your tears, your 24-pack of tissues ran out before the first week.

It’s only natural for you to be homesick since Mom and I, the centers of your life, are not there with you. We know that Mom’s cooking is so much better than camp’s. We understand that your bed at home is safe from the lizards and alligators that swim in the swamp your camp calls a “pond” and the ginormous black bears that stalk the nearby forest. We realize that your bunkmates are the meanest, nastiest, smelliest, and disgustingist  girls on the east coast, if not the whole wide world.

We get that your bunk counselors are meaner than army drill sergeants. And yes, yes, yes, we know that girls like you should never ever ever ever have to make their own beds, fold their clothes, swab the floors, clean the toilet, or scrub the front steps. We know how horrible it is to be limited to 10 pieces of candy a day. We’re sorry that you couldn’t bring 5 trunks of your favorite clothes to camp. And of course we understand that you can’t find a single activity you like among the camp’s 50 different skills, land sports, water-sports, swimming, horseback riding, computer class, theater, singing, dancing, ballet, art, cooking, archery, fencing, woodshop, nature, hiking, and creative writing elective activities. We understand. Really, we do. But that’s what camp is all about and we know you’ll have a great time anyways.

You will get over your homesickness. Then again, maybe you won’t. Actually, we’re kind of happy to know that you’re homesick since it means you do miss and love us, even if you told us that we were the worst parents in the world when we left you behind at camp yesterday. I guess I do feel kind of bad for you of course. Heck, don’t focus on camp – just think about home, and how much you love us and miss us, and you’re sure to get warm feelings all over. So what if it makes you even more homesick if you miss us! We actually want you to miss us. Really, we do.

In case I forget to mention it, please don’t make a scene next year by screaming and running after us as we drive down the mile-long road into town.  A police officer stopped us to ask if something was wrong and you know how we don’t like speaking with the police after last year’s “incident” in Iowa.

Anyways, do what you can to have a great rest of the summer. And remember not to come out too early on pick-up day because we’ll probably arrive after the rest of the families have picked up their kids and left for home.  Have a great summer – and remember – we love you more than (just about) anything!

Your Loving Parents,

Mom and Dad

Looking for ideas of what TO write?

• The Letters to Camp Blog: What Not to Pack
• The Letters to Camp Blog: A Good Disconnect (Kidsickness)
• The Letters to Camp Blog: The Funny Letters to Camp Resource List
• The Letters to Camp Blog: InfoGraphic: How to Write Letters to Camp

So as our own kids grew up, we figured that more frequent communication – via cell phone and later, also through text messages – would be a good thing.  We’d know where our kids were.  We’d know when they were coming home and they’d know when we were going to pick them up from school.  All good, right?

I suppose it has been good – I do like knowing where my kids are (or thinking I know where they are).  And it’s good to communicate with them regardless of their whereabouts. And of course, it’s amazing to be able to talk with my kids when they’re away from town and to Skype with our sophomore in college.

But through all of this, it’s also clear that my kids cherish their independence, and they need a long tether, not a short one so they can grow.

And so it is with summer camp. Summer camp provides a unique opportunity for our kids to be on their own – in a safe environment.  It’s really the best of all worlds – we parents know that our kids are well-cared for, and our kids get to grow and gain independence that will help them to mature into confident adults.

Sure, camps let us send emails, letters and packages to campers. And they post pictures of campers online (which is guaranteed to be good news for some other picture-friendly camper’s parents, but never you, since your own kid is guaranteed to be MIA). But it’s not really about us anyways. Camp exists for kids, not their parents.

So for us parents, it means adjusting to something far less than the anywhere, anytime communication we experience with our kids during the school year.  Which is probably fine since I’m not sure our kids would answer the phone even if we did call!

Further Reading

• Hollee Actman Becker’s Suburb Babble Blog: So It’s the Last Week of June
• Slate XX Factor: Parents Obsessively Stalk Their Kids At Camp
• Mashable: No Cell Phones at Summer Camp – Acceptable or Archaic?
• Time Healthland: How ‘Kidsick’ Parents Stay Connected (Obsessively) with Their Kids in Summer Camp
• The Letters to Camp Blog: Our Camp Surprise – Kidsickness
• The Letters to Camp Blog: @Camp

If you’re in a hurry to download, skip to the bottom and click on the Scribd, Slideshare, or Box logos to view and download this CampLib.

Our first two CampLibs™ (Wake Up and About Your Room) were so popular that we’ve created our next CampLib in the series, Toilet Trouble!

Our newest CampLib is sure to thrill your boy campers.  Even girls will enjoy the short adventure.  Despite the title, this CampLib follows the Letters to Camp Blog tradition of kid-appropriate fun (i.e, no vulgarity unless you add it in yourself).

Here’s how it works:

Step #1: You get someone to help you fill it in.  Spouses are good but not necessary for this task (Don’t ask.  I will deny that I ever said this!)

Step #2: Following the sheet, you ask your partner in silliness for different words like “clothing” or “scary animal” and fill in the blanks.

Step #3: Send the letter to your camper.  Feeling brave and daring?  Send it alone.  Can’t help but write a “real” letter too?  That’s fine – enclose the CampLib with your “real” letter.

Step #4: Your camper opens up the letter, reads it again and again and again.  Each time they read it, they think about how lucky they are to know YOU.  And as your camper’s friends hear the CampLib, they’ll think how cool it would be if they knew you too!

Step #5: Your camper comes home at the end of camp, gives you a GREAT BIG HUG, turns on the TV and well uh, sorry, I can’t help you here!  You’re on your own at this point!

Ready!  Set!  Download!

Download for free:

Scribd, Slideshare, or Box

Let’s face it, some things are better left at home.  Same goes for letters to camp.  A few years ago, I wrote the  “Letters to Camp Packing List” post. Now here are a few things NOT to pack in your first (or any) letter:

• Envy – Don’t give them reasons to wish they were home now
  “We bought new iPhones for your brother and sister – too bad you can’t use yours at camp.”
• Sadness – Resist the urge – even if it’s true
  “Our lives are so empty without you.  We cry ourselves to sleep each night and miss you terribly.” 
• Excessive joy – Don’t make your kids miss being home – at least for now
  “We always have such a great time when you go to camp… we eat sugary cereals, stay up late, skip our homework…”
• Negative learning experiences – Focus on the positive
  “Even if you’re lonely, you’ll learn a lot.”  
• Worry - Keep your kids focused on camp, not on home
  “We’re not sure if the Smith’s pet hamster will make it to September.”
• Paparazzi – The other parents want you to know that your kid doesn’t need to be in every picture.
  “Honey, you were only in 20 pictures on the camp website this week.  Please try to get in more shots so we know you’re having fun.”

Additional Resources

Letters to Camp Packing List

 Sometimes you just need a quick list of resources, say for writing funny letters to camp. Here it is: the official Letters to Camp Funny Letters Resource List:

Jokes Kids Love

• Kid-safe joke sites
• More joke sites

Mix Up Your Letters with CampLibs

• Introducing CampLibs!
• Wake up! (same as above)
• About your room

Multiple Choice Letters/Fill-In-The-Blank letters

• Multiple choice #1
• Fill in the blank letter #1
• Fill in the blank letter #2: End of summer

Camp Letter Ideas – Change Your Perspective!

• Talk like a pirate (seriously!)
• Dog letter #1: from your family dog
• Dog Letter #2

So You Still Need More Ideas?

• Funny Letter 5-Step
• What Type of Letter-Writer Are You?
• 7 Point Font & Other Acts of Desperation
• More Funny Letter to Camp Secrets
• InfoGraphic: How to Write Letters to Camp
• Info-Edu-Graphic: How to Write Funny Letters to Camp

Humor is good.  Funny is easy.  Laughs build bonds forever.

Top letter writing challenges – the Letters to Camp Blog. http://www.LetterstoCamp.net.

For the last year, we’ve been asking folks about their biggest challenge writing letters to camp.  And the number one challenge? FUNNY LETTERS!  Heck, it even beat out homesickness prevention.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ways you can create funny letters to your camper.  Check out the info-edu-graphic for details!

• Campers love humor!  [Most] kids love to laugh – and funny letters get kids laughing without losing their focus on camp.  Laughter makes a good day great, and a challenging day better. Whether sharing funny true stories or jokes, or just mixing it up, humor helps build a lasting bond between you and your camper.

• Tell a joke.  Kids love jokes, riddles, and funny stories. You can write your own jokes and riddles. Or grab a few online – simply cut and paste them right into your typed or email letters. Check out this great list of kid-friendly joke and riddle sites.
  
• Imagine it.  Let your creative juices flow! Letters can be whatever you want them to be.  Write a true story. Or a fictional story. Or a funny story. Create funny pictures and drawings.  Add silly captions to your photos.  If you can imagine it, you can do it!  Click for more ideas.
• Change Your Perspective.  It’s amazing what a new point of view can do for a letter.  I love to write letters from my dog’s perspective.   You might prefer to write a letter from your cat or your parakeet. Or your baby.

• Be Unexpected.  Who says that letters to camp have to be the same old same old? After all, you’re unique – and so is your camper. And your letters should be unique too!  Try a few of these ideas for unique and unexpected letters. Next time you write a letter, use a fill in a CampLib (silly fill-in-the-blank letter), fill-in-the-blank letter or even, a multiple choice letter. Or write your own.

Additional Resources

Download the free  info-edu-graphic for a quick guide you can take anywhere.

Best wishes for happy, funny letter-writing!

Further Reading

Letters to Camp Blog: Jokes
Letters to Camp Blog: Joke List
Letters to Camp Blog: Fill-in-the-blank letters
Letters to Camp Blog: CampLibs (MadLibs you send your kids)
Letters to Camp Blog: letters from my dog’s perspective

Welcome back to another season of Letters TO Camp!  Check back regularly and be sure to take a look at the categories to your right to find all of the resources you need for great letters to your kids at camp!

Steve, Editor

As you write letters to camp, it’s always a good idea to mix it up with new and clever material – jokes, stories, interesting facts etc.

Here’s a fun topic that any camp-age boy will eat up: pirates.  And what better topic for Columbus Day since Columbus and pirates alike rode ye olde giant sea between the continents.

Of course I’m not talking about the Somali pirates.  Nor am I’m not suggesting that you encourage your son to plunder his cabin-mates’ belongings or have his counselors walk the plank (blindfolded of course).

Rather, for fun, you might share some history and a few pirate words with your camper.  Following are a few great resources.

1. For a great history of pirate terms (or more accurately, popularized pirate terms), check out Erin McKean’s “Yarrgh!” article in the Boston Globe.  Also be sure to check out her list of pirate words on her Wordnik blog.
2. Check out the official site of British Talk Like a Pirate Day for great tips and vocabulary.
3. check out the Today Show’s talk like a pirate page for more tips.

More ideas on clever letters:

• Letters to Camp Blog: Letter writing ideas
• Letters to Camp Blog: Jokes

Your letter could be a star!

Ah, the joys of unpacking your campers!  As you unpack, there’s a good chance that you just may find a few of the masterpiece letters you sent to your campers.  I know you’re hoping that the pages are tattered as your camper read and re-read your funny stories.  Or perhaps you’re hoping that they’re tear-stained as said camper reflected on your sage advice. Or overwritten with their notes on answering the latest SAT math question you sent.  Or – and I hope this is not the case – those letters may still be sitting, crisp and unread, nestled in their original envelopes.

Regardless of their state, those gems, those works of art, those clever tomes – they all have a second life!  I’d like to feature YOUR LETTERS in upcoming blog posts.  Please email me an image of your letter and I may feature it in an upcoming post.  Interested?  GREAT – please email me at letters [at] letterstocamp.net!

Thanks – and happy unpacking!