How to get your kid to write home!

These fun form letters are from the West Point parent's website, but they can be customized for any of the Service Academies. Just print them off, send them with a stamped, self addressed envelope, and your kid has no excuse for not writing back!

http://www.west-point.org/parent/plebe-net/letters.html

I also plan to pick up some USNA postcards on I-Day, put postcard stamps on them, and mail them back in a care package to our son. He can use those to send a quick note to grandparents, etc., if he has an extra minute. At least that's the theory - we'll see if it happens!

Love this! I read it a while ago, and have been having a ball making up my own...its very theraputic too! Its sooo fun to make up multiple choice answers that will make my son smile. And irreverent humor is my favorite!

I used these form letters as a template then added my own questions and multiple choice answers or fill in the blanks. During Beast I got much more information from these form letters then the two regular letters he sent.

I was cleaning out some drawers the other day and came across some note cards I bought to send to my daughter.
One set was "Bunny Suicides". They were hilarious and *timely*! Another set was fortune note cards and I stuck a 'fortune' in each note. These were more uplifting.

I also spent a small fortune on music cards. She loved these! The cadre loved them too and would have her open them so they could hear the music!
I also sent jokes. Lots of military jokes. You can find them on the 'joke thread' and paste them onto word and dress them up a bit. The cadre love jokes! Tip - send them jokes about an opposite branch. If they are Navy, send Air Force and Army jokes, if they are at West Point send Navy, Marine and AF jokes.

I wrote nearly every day. I sent questionairres, music cards and put stickers on the outside of the envelopes - all in an attempt to get mail back. It didn't work. I got TWO letters all summer! One was mandatory and the other was after she had been to the hospital.

Haha those are awesome. Will have to make some for my brother.

And just_a_mom, your cadet won't get in trouble for getting musical cards? Must send one of those too then, just to drive him insane.

Pahndah said:

Haha those are awesome. Will have to make some for my brother.

And just_a_mom, your cadet won't get in trouble for getting musical cards? Must send one of those too then, just to drive him insane.

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At West Point they get their own mail out of their po box. Cadre goes with them but they were pretty 'chill' in her company and after the first couple they wanted to hear them!
No she never had to drop for any mail. I was hoping some of it would entice a letter telling me to stop!

I'm afraid that the computer has almost killed real mail- I've never gotten a letter from my son and not even that many emails. I'm now on Facebook just so i can chat with him as once they were out of the Ratline they couold go on social networks- I'm like a stalker waiting for the little buble to turn green next to his name so I can nail him.

Too bad really though. There is something really special about pulling out that letter long after you first read it- lots of memories come rushing back to you . And of course when you are sitting out in the cold, soaking wet and you get that perfumed letter from the 1sg with the mail truck ( or whatever the female equivalent is- maybe a shot of "Axe" before it gets sealed?)- it's like a blast of warm air on your almost frost bitten toes!

bruno said:

There is something really special about pulling out that letter long after you first read it- lots of memories come rushing back to you.

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I have kept many emails my son has sent to me just for this reason. I may not have many snail mail letters but I have some pretty good emails to pull out and read in future years.