Is "No!" a Proper Response in a Letter?

No! 

That's what I got in a letter from Marisa at camp yesterday. I realized that she was answering some question I asked her in the letter she received from me last week. But that was last week, and now I don't have a clue what I had asked her. Is there a small moment to learn from here? I see one!

Marisa needs to realize that when answering a question in a letter, it's important to repeat the question in the answer. For example:

Do you need anything besides blue nail polish?
No, I don't need anything besides blue nail polish when you visit me.


Don't you want to have ice-cream at camp from the ice-cream bar?
No, I don't want to have ice-cream for dessert at camp, but prefer to go out for ice-cream somewhere else. 

I'm brainstorming here, trying to figure out what question she answered with No! 

Well, I'm about to find out, because this weekend we will be visiting Marisa at camp, and I will bring the letter in question with me to pair up with the letter I wrote that initiated the baffling No response. I know I'll be able to do this, because Marisa tapes all the letters, she receives, to the wall in her room at camp. So once I find the letter in question, I'll be able to give Marisa a very brief lesson on the proper way to respond to a question.

Then, we'll see the results of this lesson in letters to follow. I'll give her lots of opportunities to practice this new skill, by sending her a few questions in the next few letters I send her.

So is there a small moment to learn from here? Absolutely, and I can't wait to see the results!