So, we are a week in on this thing called Summer Vacation. So far, so good. As a long term proponent of year-round schooling, I don't like the idea of the boys having 2 months off. It is easy for them and me to become complacent with late nights and late mornings, a screw up in our routine and the seeming never ending flow of money out the door to keep them occupied. Even if it is only fries and a drink from Mc.Donalds it adds up.
Gone are the days of swim lessons and splash parks and to be frank, at $125 a trip to the zoo is not in our budget. With teenagers it is about seeing their friends - which I am totally cool with - but along with that comes working around a lot of different schedules and commitments. It is my goal to have one adventure a week with them and some sort of small outing on a couple of other days, but I must admit it is daunting. The things that thrill an 8 year old, don't do much for my 15 and 16 year olds.
So back to the school thing. My guess is that if you have young children and need child care, year-round school is not the solution as the week here and week there that kids are off make childcare a bitch. However when you have children that are working towards their future and that still don't quite know what they want to do, I think having a system that would allow for more learning would be fantastic.
I've looked into age appropriate camps for them and at the end of the day it comes down to the almighty dollar. When you take $400 a week x 2 kids it just can't be done. I'm not saying I need school as a babysitter - I don't, what I like about the idea of them being in school, is the continued learning, the continued deciding, the continued opportunity to try something different. The maintaining of the routine, the contact with the adults that are teaching them and the students that make up their "school social circle". My boys are being asked to decide their future now and they haven't tried enough or learned enough to know what they want and what they don't want.
Yes, I could get them up early and keep them on a routine, but really, why? So they can say "I'm bored" all that much sooner?
1 comment:
Welcome to summer, the bane of all working parents. You are right about year round schooling on both counts. It would be lovely to have year round learning but very difficult for child care if the parents are working. Hope "boring" isn't the catch phrase for the summer. Camps really are out of sight price wise for most children and their parents.
Happy Friday everyone.
Love to all
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