Communicating with your Daughter - New Camper Blog Series

This week’s New Camper blog is going to be especially parent-focused as we look at how to communicate with your daughter during the summer. It’s a question all new parents want to know – how do I show my daughter “the love” when I am not with her, and in the same vein, how I do not go crazy when I am away from her for so long?!

Handwritten Letters

First off, let’s talk about letter writing. We think writing letters is the BEST way to communicate during the summer – there is just something special about receiving that hand written letter while at camp…it is something your daughter will remember for years to come.

Here are a few different things to know about letter writing:

• Pre-writing letters: We highly recommend sending letters before your daughter even arrives at camp. If you do, she will have letters waiting for her when she arrives, receiving them in those first few days when she is here. She will appreciate it! This is especially good for Junior Camp, due to the short time frame.
• Opening Day postcard bins: On Opening Day, we have labeled bins for the first four days of camp on the Hostess Cabin (our camp office) porch where you can drop prewritten letters; we will deliver these to your daughter on the first few days. You can bring prewritten letters with you, stopping by to drop these in the bins. Or, you can use our (free!) camp postcards to jot a quick note before you leave on Opening Day.
• Share the love: Make sure you’ve shared the camp address with your friends and family before the summer so that they also can write to your daughter! Even better, have them prewrite some letters as well.
• Keep it simple: We have a no-package policy at camp, which carries over to the types of letters you can send. We ask that you send standard size envelopes with nothing included in them (no gum, candy, or anything else).
• Preaddress those envelopes: Help your daughter with the letter-writing process by pre-addressing envelopes for her to use. This helps to make sure her letters are addressed correctly and make it to where they need to go!
• Use those Ziplock bags: Envelopes can start to get sticky when sitting out in our cabins on a shelf, making them hard to use. Use a Ziplock to store your daughter’s envelopes so that she is ready to go when writing her letters.
• Help us by adding her cabin number: It is a huge help when we are sorting the thousands of letters everyday if you add the cabin number to your daughter’s letter. Since you won’t know your daughter’s cabin until Opening Day, those prewritten letters won’t have the cabin number on them (that’s fine!) – just add it once you know her cabin.
• Keep it up: Continue to send those handwritten letters as your daughter is away. There’s nothing better than mail at Rest Hour.

The proper way to address a letter is: Camper’s Name, Cabin Number • 21 Camp Greystone Lane • Zirconia, NC 28790

Emails

Another way to communicate with your daughter is by sending her an email (they are free!). You can do this through your Greystone account, making this an easy way to shoot a quick note to your camper. We deliver these by 11 a.m. each day (except Sundays), so send them early in the day, and your daughter will have the email that day at Rest Hour Read some more about emails on our Contacting page of our website.

Faxes

Campers can send and receive faxes, and many parents will do this if they are out of the country. There is a fee associated with these (added to your Greystone Store account - $1 to receive and $3 to send). If you would like your daughter to fax you, please make sure she has your fax number when she comes to camp.

Photos

Another more “one-way communication” with your daughter is looking at our camp photos during the summer. We post thousands of photos each day, and it is fun to see your daughter in action at camp. You can view and download (for free!) any of our camp photos from your Greystone account. We are going to be sharing some tips on making your way through photos in a few short weeks.

Worried about something while she is away?

Because you won’t be able to talk to your daughter while she is at camp (we don’t allow girls to talk on the phone or email), if you do have any questions or concerns, the best thing to do is just give us a call: 828.693.3182. Our office staff can help with many questions you have. Also, your daughter’s age group will have a Group Leader assigned to oversee her cabin; this Group Leader would be happy to help answer any concerns you may have about your daughter. On Opening Day, you’ll receive a Welcome Letter that will list your daughter’s Group Leader with contact information.