Working Parents - how do you handle summers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I drill into my DD head how much being a working parent sucks. I wish we had structured our lives so I could work VERY part time or just stay home. My DH Fed job just doesn’t cut it around here, and when we married I planned to use my law degree and “change the world” (tm). So dumb, I would be much happier spending more time with my kids in the summer, and doing some sort of part time piecemeal work like research or wills or something.

Spend your time teaching your DD how to marry rich. Don’t send her to camps that won’t help her accomplish this goal.

You're disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Camps with extended care. The only people whom I know whose kids did swim team had a SAHP or a sitter.

+1 Swim team is for SAHM families.

A lot of the families on our neighborhood team are not SAHM families. But they seem to have one or both parents available a lot on the late afternoon. I'm actually shocked how many families there are who have BOTH parents hanging out at swim practice. I wonder when they work?? I do contract work from home, usually part-time so I can do drop off and pick up, but there is no way my spouse could be hanging out at swim practice at 4:30 pm. It's a fairly UMC neighborhood and I wonder how people earn the money that they seem to when it seems like they don't work much!

Because our jobs can be done 24/7. It doesn't matter whether I write a brief at 4pm or 8pm so long as it gets done and gets done well.

[Anonymous]

When kids are young they spend 4 weeks with family in California. When they’re older (third grade and up) they did 4 or 8 week summer camps. This summer all 3 of our kids will be at camp from mid June to early august. Summer is my busy season at work so I can’t take time off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Camps with extended care. The only people whom I know whose kids did swim team had a SAHP or a sitter.

+1 Swim team is for SAHM families.

swim practices are 4-7pm daily so after day camp. and super fun! the older kids have later practices, and the early AM practices are even better stroke clinics.

which team?

[Anonymous]

What’s with the obsessive swim team crap? What a waste of time. I grew up in the south and had never heard of swim team. Why not just let kids be kids and swim for fun rather than impose all this structured “swim team” nonsense on them?

[Anonymous]

My kids are older now, but when they were young we used day camps that had extended care available. In later years my schedule got a little more flexible and we could choose one or two weeks with the typical 9-4 for schedule. Usually had 1-2 weeks vacation (even if it was staycation) and the kids spent a week with grandparents.

They didn't start swim team until 5th grade, when they could walk themselves to/from practice in the morning (3 blocks, no busy streets) and spend the afternoon home by themselves.

[Anonymous]

We have 3 kids. We hire a college kid for the summer and use that and some day camps for the older two (they love sports and love going to a different camp each week). My DH and I both work at home so we also have some flexibility there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Camps with extended care. The only people whom I know whose kids did swim team had a SAHP or a sitter.

+1 Swim team is for SAHM families.

swim practices are 4-7pm daily so after day camp. and super fun! the older kids have later practices, and the early AM practices are even better stroke clinics.

which team?

Merrimack

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Camps with extended care. The only people whom I know whose kids did swim team had a SAHP or a sitter.

+1 Swim team is for SAHM families.

swim practices are 4-7pm daily so after day camp. and super fun! the older kids have later practices, and the early AM practices are even better stroke clinics.

Where do you live? All of our pools have swim team in the morning before open swim opens (8-10am); having the pool closed for swim practice from 4-7pm cuts into core public swim hours?

Merrimack has optional early AM practices or the 30 min slot after camps (3-4 lanes for swim team for a couple hours).

[Anonymous]

We have 3 and first I plan summer camps well in advance to try to make things logistically feasible (close to the house or less places to do drop off and pick up). Hubby works remotely full time and I’m only in the twice a week but also generally have a lot of flexibility. I make up work later in the day if necessary. Finally, a couple of our kids are old enough that they can get to and from their summer camps using public transport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s with the obsessive swim team crap? What a waste of time. I grew up in the south and had never heard of swim team. Why not just let kids be kids and swim for fun rather than impose all this structured “swim team” nonsense on them?

For me it was the best way to make them strong swimmers, which is a solid life skill. Lessons are okay but practice and coaching, even for a season really locks it in.

[Anonymous]

I'm a single mom - full time. Summer is hell. Luckily I have a somewhat flexible job so I can do a 9-4 camp and sometimes a 9-3 camp without taking leave. I definitely am just dialing it in during the summer though. My kids are not ones that love camp. They hated the county ones and tolerate the Bar-T type. Both kids get bored at just one camp. I try to coordinate camps with friends. The elementary school they go to does not have many kids that do summer camp, which makes things hard because one of my kids is miserable without knowing someone. That's why I have to start in January with spreadsheets and many emails back and forth with people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone had luck asking for more flex from employers during the summer?

I plan to ask for this, nervous.

[Anonymous]

Dream: ship them off to an 8 week camp up in Maine. It looks like such fun for them and no spreadsheets for me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dream: ship them off to an 8 week camp up in Maine. It looks like such fun for them and no spreadsheets for me!

Some of us actually like our kids and enjoy being with them and teaching them.