What is your 13 year old doing this summer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Starting a nonprofit to boost college admissions prospects (HYPSM).

Wow, a real generous soul. I supposed she’ll be researching not what is in most need but what’s the easiest and most impressive for colleges. They know all about the parents behind the sudden interest in non-profits. Unless she’s willing to put in hours each week for the next four or five years don’t bother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Starting a nonprofit to boost college admissions prospects (HYPSM).

Wow, a real generous soul. I supposed she’ll be researching not what is in most need but what’s the easiest and most impressive for colleges. They know all about the parents behind the sudden interest in non-profits. Unless she’s willing to put in hours each week for the next four or five years don’t bother.

X1000

[Anonymous]

So far 3 weeks of day camp and swim team.
We’re going to Rehoboth for a week and I think we’re going to England for a week too to see family.
Aside from that hanging out with friends or just hanging out I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad we can’t just let kids be kids and enjoy themselves in the summer without making them feel like they need to earn money or gain job experience.

This would be fine if screen time wasn’t so ubiquitous.

[Anonymous]

Swim team and preteam coach
Music lessons 1-2/week
Band camp (2 weeks)
Vacation (1 week)

And wayyyy too much screen time; I guarantee.

[Anonymous]

DC teen summer jobs program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad we can’t just let kids be kids and enjoy themselves in the summer without making them feel like they need to earn money or gain job experience.

I hate the concept of "we can't just let kids be kids and enjoy themselves" as if kids don't enjoy camps, jobs, learning, etc. My kids LOVE earning money, learning a new language/culture, and would be bored if they got told to just hang out all summer, but they can't work, can't do a language program, can't teach themselves coding, etc. Shouldn't letting kids be kids mean letting them explore their interests and indulge in them, whatEVER they may be?

It's true though. Not that kids can't enjoy those things, but they're almost expected now a days. Nothing wrong with some of that, but kids are way overscheduled amd need free, unstructured time to be kids. Not all kids enjoy being so busy.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, probably nothing. It feels sort of like a gap year; she’s too old for camp, too young for a job. It’ll sort of be nice to just play it by ear every day (I don’t work in the summer.) I vividly remember the lazy summer I had at 13, and it would be nice for my DD to experience that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, probably nothing. It feels sort of like a gap year; she’s too old for camp, too young for a job. It’ll sort of be nice to just play it by ear every day (I don’t work in the summer.) I vividly remember the lazy summer I had at 13, and it would be nice for my DD to experience that.

9 weeks is a long freakin time to “be lazy.”

[Anonymous]

If kids still rode bikes, played outside, read books, took hikes, played flashlight tag and did all the stuff I did in the summer in the 80s, I’d be ALLL about not scheduling anything for them. Unfortunately, if I don’t schedule camps, trips, structured activities, and athletics, the entire summer would be screens and no exercise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swim team and preteam coach
Music lessons 1-2/week
Band camp (2 weeks)
Vacation (1 week)

And wayyyy too much screen time; I guarantee.

Where is two weeks of band camp?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If kids still rode bikes, played outside, read books, took hikes, played flashlight tag and did all the stuff I did in the summer in the 80s, I’d be ALLL about not scheduling anything for them. Unfortunately, if I don’t schedule camps, trips, structured activities, and athletics, the entire summer would be screens and no exercise.

Do parents just give on trying to manage screen time or do they not care? I'm threads like this, it's a running theme. Parents really don't think that they can do anything about their child's screen time.

[Anonymous]

What do you do PP? Take it away and then what? On some level it's biting to not do anything when your friends are online or doing activity or not around. What do you do? Read all day for 6 weeks straight? Let's be reasonable and realistic. You couldn't do it as an adult. Be bored out of your mind!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad we can’t just let kids be kids and enjoy themselves in the summer without making them feel like they need to earn money or gain job experience.

I hate the concept of "we can't just let kids be kids and enjoy themselves" as if kids don't enjoy camps, jobs, learning, etc. My kids LOVE earning money, learning a new language/culture, and would be bored if they got told to just hang out all summer, but they can't work, can't do a language program, can't teach themselves coding, etc. Shouldn't letting kids be kids mean letting them explore their interests and indulge in them, whatEVER they may be?

It's true though. Not that kids can't enjoy those things, but they're almost expected now a days. Nothing wrong with some of that, but kids are way overscheduled amd need free, unstructured time to be kids. Not all kids enjoy being so busy.

The days and weeks are long. The jobs and camps are part time. Kids can do all of the above and not be overscheduled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you do PP? Take it away and then what? On some level it's biting to not do anything when your friends are online or doing activity or not around. What do you do? Read all day for 6 weeks straight? Let's be reasonable and realistic. You couldn't do it as an adult. Be bored out of your mind!

I don't know what the answer is, but it is sad that kids just can't be kids anymore. It's a shame that no other kids would be home or behind a screen all the time.