That transition from mom's (or dad's) loving arms to the bus, that challenging moment of truth as they head off to camp, is what makes the experience so seminal for your son or daughter.

NEW YORK -- When the school year ends a few weeks from now, millions of kids will head off to sleepaway camp for a summer filled with color wars, kaya...

Only after our kids mount the bus to sleepaway camp can we celebrate our long-awaited Summer! Of! Freedom! -- by running home to glue ourselves to our computer screens.

From rural Maine to the Berkshires, at summer's peak you can spot them -- swarms of SUV's pulling out of roadside motels and quaint B&B's -- packed with "camp tourists" with kids in tow.

"Oh, yes. Grace," I began, haltingly. "One thing to remember is that you will be at camp, having all of these new experiences. Everything here is just the same as ever. I'll be here in my ordinary life."

There are three reasons that I genuinely wish there was no such thing as overnight camps posting pictures of kids online during the camp session.

It's sleepaway camp season and everyone is getting their calls from the kiddos. I've found a pattern: I desperately want to strangle my husband after each call.

Sitting here in my grown-up office, I've somewhat accepted the whole "you don't get a three-month summer vacay" reality of adulthood, but I'm still a sleepaway camp kid at heart. And in my 100 percent biased opinion, your child should be one too.

Sending the kids to camp is supposed to be this delightfully awesome time of freedom and reprieve, but it's not for me.

Does an overnight camp experience still make sense in this competitive, resume-building world? From this psychologist's point of view, the answer is a resounding YES.

In the time-honored tradition of laugh-out-loud kid notes, the letter home from camp holds pride of place. While cute to-do lists and subtle commentar...

If the kids can unplug, why can't we? Here are some tried and tested tips from recovering camp moms. You will get through it.

While independence is a part of happiness, so is connectedness. Past generations may have gone too far, making oh-so-independent Americans less connected to friends and family.

My parents LIKED sending us to camp! Sure they missed us (I think...), but they partied. I'm sure of it. They traveled, went out to fancy dinners, stayed out late, and quite possibly danced on our beds to celebrate our absence.