"I spent the whole summer shopping for care packages. I went to the Dollar Tree or Five Below every week! Not sure what others send, but I know my son really enjoyed them."

"Some kids do take time to warm up. My son is pretty sensitive. Definitely not the type to run off and acclimate quickly... It was hard for us both, and visiting day brought on a lot of tears. Still, he was happy with his friends, and care packages helped him a lot."

"You'll be obsessed with finding them in camp photos. Don’t overthink what you see!"

"The whole bunk read my daughter's camper grams! I was not prepared for that. I had written some mushy, somewhat personal letters to my daughter, assuming they were just for her. Imagine my surprise when I found out they were essentially being shared with the entire bunk! So here's my rookie parent tip: keep that in mind when you're writing camper grams—unless your daughter is the super-private type, there's a good chance her friends will end up reading them too."

"The letters are never what you expect. I usually get notes that say, 'Camp is good,' 'please send snacks,' or 'lost my sneakers.' Lol. Each kid is different."

"Don't expect a call the first week."

"Talk to fellow parents about what they are bringing on visiting day—candy, snacks, games, toys. I always wanted to make sure my kids had the similar things."

"Please don’t cry on visiting day! It makes it so much harder for the kids. Save the tears for the car ride home after you’ve said goodbye."

"One of the hardest lessons of camp is learning that growth often happens alongside discomfort. Many campers who struggle at the beginning end up thriving by the end."

"I wasn’t prepared for my house to be so quiet!"

"They’ll look so much older when you pick them up on the last day!"

"Not really camp related, but make sure to buy lots of extra socks and underwear for their return. You'll want to toss the ones they come home with."

"Send them an empty duffle to put all their new stuff in (like crafts they make there)."

"Remember to tip camp counselors on visiting day!"

"Homesickness is normal!!!"

"The first week was probably the hardest for me. Will they make friends? Will they find their bunk? It gets better from there.

"For rookie parents, there is so much wondering and worrying. Unless the camp calls you, know that they are fine!"