Letters to Camp

One of our kids, a counselor, came home about 2 weeks ago and the excitement was obvious – great campers, lots of exciting things happening at camp, bubbly anticipation of the second 3 1/2 week session etc. Then they came home 2 days ago and while happy, were a bit more subdued.  Happy and content but subdued. I wondered what was happening… were they still enjoying their summer? Yes, of course they were, but more quietly.

I bet you’ve experienced the same thing from your full-summer campers
(ie kids who stay for the whole summer).

The letters get a little more quiet, less excited about new friends, new experiences, getting over their fears. There’s a certain sameness to things.  Your camper is not quite ready to come home yet. And they’re not homesick. But they’re not at their peak either.

You might call it the mid-summer slump.

It’s to be expected. Heck, you’re probably feeling the same thing as you drone on and on about errands, heading off to work, what you had for dinner, blah, blah, blah.

But YOU hold the key to blasting the slump.  Yes, you, sitting there looking at this post on your iPhone, Android, iPad, laptop or computer… you.

Now is the best time to add whit and wisdom to your letters to camp. Add a joke, tell a funny story, be encouraging. As with all things parenting, the parenting never ends, and letter writing is the same (as long as your kid is at camp!).  So go on, write a great letter! Encourage your camper! Have fun with it! GO YOU, GO YOU! And you’ll help your camper blast through their mid-summer slump!