When I opened up my mailbox 11 days (9 hours and 26 minutes) after dropping my child at the bus for camp, I squealed with delight when I recognized her handwriting on an envelope. I couldn’t even wait to get into the house to open it, and ripped it open right in the driveway. I unfolded the letter and smiled ear to ear as I read her opening line:

Dear Mom,

Camp is SO AWESOME.

Her letter went on and on about hiking and campfires and a new best friend named Liza, this “amazing” mac and cheese, her first experience on a sailboat, and how she was hesitant, but “leaning more towards yes” about trying lacrosse for the first time. Included in her letter, were a few pictures of her and her new friends, and that is when the tears came. She looked so grown up, so happy, and so excited. I could tell, just by the few snapshots, that she was surrounded by people she loved and doing things that made her happy, and as a parent, can we really ask for anything more?

I re-read her letter 3 times that night, laughing every time at the part where she explained her numerous attempts at Hip Hop (she gets her dancing skills from her dad) and it warmed my heart to read about how encouraged she felt by her fellow campers to keep trying and not give up.

Receiving her letter made me even more confident that sending her to a sleep away camp for the first time was not only a good idea, but one of the best things we could have done for her. As the second and third letters rolled in (with more and more space in between each one, I’m assuming because she got busier and busier as the summer rolled on) I caught a glimpse of my child changing. I was able to read about her facing fears and challenges, handling social conflicts and trying new things, and “watched” her character mold and change in the process.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t counting down the days until my baby comes home, but I am so thankful for America’s Finest Summer Camps and the gifts they’ve given my daughter. She is having a blast and meeting new people, and experiencing things she would never have the chance to try if she stayed home for the summer. I’m excited to hear all about her summer, and to see the young woman she has started to become, all thanks to spending a summer at camp.

If there are any parents on the fence about sending their kid to camp, hear me loud and clear: you’d be doing your child a disservice by keeping them home when they have the opportunity to grow, learn, play, do and explore in a way that only a camp like this can provide. Send them, you’ll be glad you did.