Shorts, T-shirts, swimsuits and flip-flops. Other than some chocolate contraband hidden in the bottom of my old suitcase, that was the extent of my packing list for my trek to Pine Cove, the summer camp I attended every summer from sixth grade on up.

Boy, have times changed.

If you’re thinking about sending your kids to summer camp this year, forget about it. It’s too late. Registration was years ago, and you wouldn’t have time to do all the necessary preparation that camp requires these days anyway.

I attended my first one-week camp away from home when I was 11 years old. By today’s standards, that’s a little late to get started in the “camp world.” My own children were 7 and 8 the first time they attended spend-the-night camp. Crazy, huh? But many popular camps have waiting lists from the time a child is very young. Once that door opens up and a spot becomes available … well, let’s just say, you snooze, you lose. So, off to camp our kids toddle to begin this life-changing experience.

This generation of campers is not only younger, they are much better prepared. How I survived two weeks away from home without a hand-painted trunk and designer-monogrammed sheets in coordinating colors is a complete mystery. In fact, I called my mother last week to express my upset over all the injustices I suffered while attending camp as a child.

“How could you send me off for two weeks on old, ratty bedding that was probably purchased at a neighbor’s garage sale? And what about that $10 spending account? How was I supposed to survive on that?”

Like so many other things in our lives, summer camp has been transformed from a simple pleasure to one of extravagance and excess.

These days, it seems that everything you need for camp must be professionally personalized: monogrammed beach towels, sheets, sleeping bags, and laundry bags; hand-painted hairbrushes and flashlights. They can even monogram your toothbrush if you like. There are Web sites and specialty stores dedicated to satisfying all your camping needs. And parents are visiting them in droves.

“But they need to keep up with their things,” you argue. “We don’t want their stuff to get lost!”

Well, whatever happened to a Sharpie marker and a roll of masking tape?

Even the camp mail system has been affected by the trend in excess. I remember how exciting it was to get a letter from home; and once, my mother baked homemade cookies and sent them in a shoebox. Nowadays, a card just doesn’t cut it. A daily package full of creative treats and non-perishable goodies is all the rage.

WHERE DOES THIS MADNESS END?

Do I sound like a big camp buzz-kill? I’m sorry … I don’t mean to. I just think it’s important for our children to enjoy camp for the simple pleasures it offers and the privilege of getting to attend. Camp is expensive. Many families save all year long in order to pay for their kids to go to camp. Camp isn’t about all the stuff. It’s about the friendships and independence and the new experiences.

So parents, let’s help those wonderful counselors who are trying so hard to teach our children about what’s really important in this world. Let camp be about camp. Spend that extra money on a night out together while the kids are away. What do you say?

(Note: Sharpies and masking tape are available at Target or your local H-E-B).