Tip of the Week – Keeping in Touch the Old Fashioned Way!
A few months ago I wrote an article entitled “Count Down to Camp,” knowing that my son was headed to a sleep away camp for the first time. 
Little did I know that all of those clever care packages I recommended weren’t allowed at his particular destination! Originally, I was disappointed that I couldn’t send him some of the fun items that I had researched, but it didn’t take me long to realize how tough it could be on kids who might not be receiving packages.
Relying on Snail Mail
And so, for the almost four weeks that he has been away from home, we’ve relied on snail mail to keep in touch! Without email or cell phones, old fashioned letters have been our only means of communication. I’ve tried to write to my son every day and have been pretty successful! And although my letters have included a lot of the mundane details of life at home, I’ve sent him some fun things that fit within the camp’s restrictions like:
- a brochure from a tourist attraction near the camp that we could visit on the trip home
- photos from family outings we took before he left
- a post card received at home from grandparents who were traveling to Alaska
- a page torn from a Halloween catalog that I thought would get him excited about his favorite holiday
- a watercolor picture painted by my youngest daughter along with whatever I thought might brighten his day!
It Helps if You’re Organized
I also made my daily letter writing easier by pre-addressing and stamping a big bunch of envelopes! No fussing around looking for envelopes, stamps, address, and so on! And if I were smart, I would have written him some letters and sent them to the camp before he’d ever left home!
Send the Pleasure of a Hand Written Note
My experience with my son’s camp “forced” me into taking pen to paper, but also reminded me that we shouldn’t overlook the value of the written word. There’s no email correspondence that compares to the pleasure of finding a note from a friend, tucked between the bills and junk in your mailbox!
Take a minute today and write a letter to an elderly relative, old college roommate or even your spouse! And if you are among those whose teen is headed away to college, get ready to write to them as well! Receiving a letter with news from home, with maybe a little cash inside, will mean a lot more than a dashed off email!
Here’s to reviving an endangered form of communication!
You may also enjoy:
- Savor the Summer
- Cocktails on the Patio
- Let’s Talk About Halloween!
- Have a Fabulous First Day of School!
Tags: the art of letter writing, keeping in touch with kids at camp, keeping in touch, writing letters, camp care packages
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Kirtsy
What you wrote was so true. Getting a handwritten note in the mail is so refreshing.
I am a mother of 2 young boys and am not having a problem paying for summer camp. However, up until a few weeks ago, I was havin trouble paying for a cell phone for them. I had to buy them a contract so that they could stay in touch with me, but could not add them on to my plan because my job pays for my phone bill. My friend, who also has young children, told me about something called prepaid cell phones. It’s like when you go to a phone booth and you put in 25 cents and you get x amount of time to talk. With a prepaid, I buy a card for them for 30 dollars and they get x minutes. It’s awesome because they get the cool phones, but I only have to pay that fixed rate a month. I don’t have to worry about being charged overages or paying too much because that’s what the plan requires. I love prepaid phones!