Only in America: Camp contraband
Parents are smuggling gadgets and candy into their kids' care packages at camp — and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation

Sleepaway camps across the country have begun banning care packages, to prevent overbearing parents from sending their campers forbidden items such as cell phones and candy. In the escalating arms race, some parents have taken to hiding contraband inside hollowed-out books, stuffed animals, and tampons. Jim Gill, owner of a Maine camp, says the parental packages "create such a distraction from the values we're trying to promote."
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Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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