"Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" -- Camp Letters

We're busy packing for my daughter's week at Girl Scout camp. I know what you're thinking...tents, campfires, mosquitoes, roughing it.... Oh, no. Think again. My daughter chose "Glitz and Glam" camp with manicures, pedicures, massages and a fashion show. I'm sure there will be swimming, maybe some hiking, and surely some camp chores. And, the cabins and tents aren't air conditioned, so it's not really as spa-like as the brochure makes it sound.

When she went to Girl Scout camp a couple of years ago, we thought they'd have post cards and other letter writing materials in the camp store. Alas, no letters arrived. Of course, she was only gone for three days last time.

But, this year, she'll be away for a week, so I'm putting together a camp letter writing kit. We'll pick out some paper for her to write on and some matching envelopes. I know the risk in losing some money on the deal, but I figure I'll even help her address and stamp the envelopes before she leaves home. That way, she'll have it all ready to go and won't have to worry about keeping up with stamps and an address list.

Maybe this year I'll at least get one letter from camp.

The camp's "Parent Guide" warns, "If you receive homesick letters, please realize that the feeling your camper had when she wrote the letter have probably passed."

That made me think of the old Alan Sherman song, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter From Camp)." In the beginning of the song, it's raining, and the letter writer is begging to come home. By the end of the song, the rain has stopped, and the campers are swimming and playing baseball. "Muddah Fadduh please disregard this letter," ths song ends.