<p>@boiledegg if you and the OP’s wife belong to the same club, I am pretty sure I am the President.</p>
<p>Upon moving out, I saw at least one or two packages that had never been opened. I didn’t even get angry, but,</p>
<p>I think sophomore year will be different.</p>
<p>Yenmor, I bet you still send more than average (once it’s in the blood it’s hard to stop) and its good to know W isn’t alone in her devotion to usps. </p>
<p>My wife has definitely tapered down over the years. At first it was every week then week and 1/2, and then every 2 weeks soph year and over the spring she says only about once a month. </p>
<p>I will be interested to see how it goes when S2 leaves (he is planning on a college far away too). S1 will start Grad school when S2 starts undergrad. Will she split em up or ???</p>
<p>I have my own way of coping with absence of S, e-mail several times a week, IM and even Skype occasionally. Wife isn’t much on computers so she has her own therapy, care packages.</p>
<p>Funny we are discussing the email- text issue on the Parent of HS 2012 senior thread right now too. I text my son but his return texts are so short, not sure what I can do yet to get more interaction when he goes away in the fall. I am a big emailer and text from my keyboard. Not a big fan of Skype. I hate the pixelated feeling of it.</p>
<p>
LOL. It seems that the parents may sometimes have a more dire need of the care package. (Been there, done that.)</p>
<p>Lakemom, tell the group to join a fantasy football league with their kids. That’s what I did! Gave me lots of excuses to ask for his help. ;)</p>
<p>Not counting the packages of things that DD forgot at home, I send baked goods for Rosh Hashanah and Passover.</p>
<p>We sent one per semester…One was around Oct and included some snack items etc. Other package went late Feb/early March-ish as our student didn’t come home at all during spring term (was on campus all spring break with EC). Both were smallish boxes sent via US Mail.
Will likely do it that way again.</p>
<p>When the temperature is very high (like it is now at most places in the south or east), I think we need to be careful about what kind of food we may want to send.</p>
<p>The best care packages I ever got (somewhat regularly, 30 years ago) were chocolate pizzas. My grandmother found some mailorder place that made them. They were made of chocolate. The “cheese” was white chocolate and the “pepperoni” were candied cherries. They were really good and I shared with all my friends who looked forward to the next chocolate pizza. I have tried searching everywhere for them, and I don’t think they exist anymore. She also sent home-baked cookies sometimes that were also well-received by me and my friends.</p>
<p>@joszacem I guess if two times a month is not “average”, you are probably right, I will likely mail more than average. It is not onlt therapeutic it is fun. Like your wife, I enjoy seeing how much I can get into one of those boxes.</p>
<p>How about this place LBowie?</p>
<p>[Chocolate</a> Pizza Company](<a href=“http://www.chocolatepizza.com/]Chocolate”>http://www.chocolatepizza.com/)</p>
<p>Yenmor, glad you and my W (and all the other CarePackagers out there) have found your coping mechainism, more power to ya. I think we all find our own ways to cope with our little ones (once little ones S1 is now 6’6) moving on to the next part of their life. </p>
<p>mcat2; agree about watching the weather, W is careful about sending parishable in summer and stuff that can freeze in winter.</p>
<p>Lakemom; wish I had the answer for you (and myself). As S is away longer he calls less frequently (about once a week) and only replies to every other email I send, and I agree about Skype. I guess they eventually grow up and move on. </p>
<p>Happy 4th everyone!!</p>
<p>Thanks, Lakemom!! (#51) This is awesome! I will definitely be sending a certain freshman one of those!</p>
<p>You’re welcome LBowie! I was eyeing the campfire pizza myself ;)</p>
<p>I don’t send them too oftn but we use Amazon Prime to send lots of stuff. The savings of free shipping 7& delievered in 2 days is awesome. Bed linens, groceries, health & beauty & various surprises. It is awesome.</p>
<p>I love amazon prime too. It is so convenient for sending gifts to out of town relatives. We find it is well worth the price for our famiy and plan to use it for college as well.</p>
<p>To answer the OP’s original question: As often as I want to. I don’t believe in following norms on this issue, in either direction (more/less frequent). I would be careful to adhere to the standard practice only if I had a child at a service academy, where even the receipt of “too many” letters would be noted.</p>
<p>^^^ I like the “as often as I want to.” I probably had as much fun sending the packages as my girls did getting them. Both got in the habit of calling me (sometimes using Skype video call) while they opened the packages so I could share in the fun on that end too.</p>
<p>I sent a box about once a month and only on months they wouldn’t be home - so none in Dec-Jan or May through August. I tried to make the boxes practical but fun (thick funky socks in the winter …) with some disposable goodies thrown in, i.e. Halloween or Valentine decorations.</p>
<p>I stopped just because I could tell its time had come to an end. Nothing bad … nor even negative … just time to stop.</p>
<p>I wish my parent would spend me a carepackage 
well i guess adding money into my account is generous enough lol</p>
<p>The care packages I remember that my Dd appreciated most were the Halloween decorations in early October, and the red and pink scarves and mittens, along with chocolate, in February.</p>
<p>Son was never interested in care packages- always preferred a little cash in a card. He has had that preference (cash over gifts) since he was about seven, so I didn’t expect it to change in college.</p>