What are you going to do this summer?

[Anonymous]

The news of the NVSL swim season being cancelled has me now stressing out about the summer (yes, I assumed it'd be canceled).

We've typically done swim/tennis teams at our club and then a week or two of fun camps in August. This year I assume all of that is gone.

I have 3 kids from 16 to 8.

If you're in a similar situation, what are you going to do for two and a half months when there is not even online school to structure your day around (our schools have done a pretty good job of structuring lessons and work, so they've been kept busy and focused). My husband is very busy with work, and I've got a lot of work on my plate too, so I can't be a full-time entertainer all summer long.

My family actually all had Covid and have tested positive for the antibodies, so I'm willing to take a little more personal risk than others potentially.

[Anonymous]

Have you thought about sending the 'kids' as packs to relatives?

One relative (Aunt Susan in Iowa) takes the kids for 3 weeks. Then you take your kids and hers for 3 weeks in D.C.. Then Uncle K takes the kids in Florida for 3 weeks.

And so on. That way everyone gets at least 1.5 months of no kids and work done. While you have the kids you and spouse take 1.5 weeks off of vacation time each and split it up that way.

[Anonymous]

My kids are 10, 8, and 5. My spouse is a teacher and has a part time job (from home) over the summer and I also work from home (always) myself. We had been planning for the kids to do swim / tennis (also NVSL) then a sleepaway camp for the older two (which is also canceled) so I guess they’ll just be home all summer. I don’t really feel all that bad for them, I feel like they’ll have a summer of the ‘80s which will be good for them

I guess they will play outside and do sprinklers and water guns. It will be hot so maybe they’ll cool off indoors mid-day.

I generally allow 2 hours of free screen time every day so they’ll still get that (probably after they’ve done whatever else I say they have to do) and I no longer count chatting online with friends / family or school work online as screen time.
I feel like they are not doing all that much school work now so we will probably continue some school stuff into the summer.

[Anonymous]

What's the big deal? Was every minute of your summer scheduled with parents entertaining you in your downtime for 3 straight months whenever you were a kid?

Summers were supposed to be about boredom. Lots of biking riding, book reading, and bad TV. Now they have Netflix, much better video gaming systems, and friends to text with 24-7 without tying up the one phone line in the house. They'll survive just like I survived in the 90s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the big deal? Was every minute of your summer scheduled with parents entertaining you in your downtime for 3 straight months whenever you were a kid?

Summers were supposed to be about boredom. Lots of biking riding, book reading, and bad TV. Now they have Netflix, much better video gaming systems, and friends to text with 24-7 without tying up the one phone line in the house. They'll survive just like I survived in the 90s.

It's not about that. It's about three kids entertaining themselves while two adults are in the same house, attempting to do Zoom calls and conference calls and think about work....all at the same time. Without the benefit of being able to hang out with friends, go to the movies, or do lots of other things we all did in the "boredom summers" of the 1980s.

This is about my sanity and ability to my job more than it is about the kids being scheduled with entertainment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the big deal? Was every minute of your summer scheduled with parents entertaining you in your downtime for 3 straight months whenever you were a kid?

Summers were supposed to be about boredom. Lots of biking riding, book reading, and bad TV. Now they have Netflix, much better video gaming systems, and friends to text with 24-7 without tying up the one phone line in the house. They'll survive just like I survived in the 90s.

My parents sent me to day camp the whole summer...and I was a quiet kid in any case. So yeah, its a big deal having to schedule and entertainment for tweens/teens/toddlers while also working a normal job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you thought about sending the 'kids' as packs to relatives?

One relative (Aunt Susan in Iowa) takes the kids for 3 weeks. Then you take your kids and hers for 3 weeks in D.C.. Then Uncle K takes the kids in Florida for 3 weeks.

And so on. That way everyone gets at least 1.5 months of no kids and work done. While you have the kids you and spouse take 1.5 weeks off of vacation time each and split it up that way.

I assume air travel would be involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the big deal? Was every minute of your summer scheduled with parents entertaining you in your downtime for 3 straight months whenever you were a kid?

Summers were supposed to be about boredom. Lots of biking riding, book reading, and bad TV. Now they have Netflix, much better video gaming systems, and friends to text with 24-7 without tying up the one phone line in the house. They'll survive just like I survived in the 90s.

Only child, and, yes, I typically was busy most of the summer back in the 80s with camps or visiting out of town family. It’s going to be pretty boring for kids home this summer who can’t play with friends, go swimming, visit family, go to a movie, out for ice cream, and so on, not to mention no camp.

I have tweens/young teens and we’ll do some online classes/camps just to create some structure and maybe keep them motivated, some parent directed learning type stuff, and I’m sure they’ll have a ton of tv/movie/video game time. DH and I will each take a week or two off to give them more attention and maybe to things like paint their bedrooms, work on a garden, do cooking projects, put together family photo books, short hikes.

[Anonymous]

If I tested positive for specific Covid-19 antibodies:

1. I would pay for an additional test to confirm in a month.

2. I would hightail it out of the region's humid and mosquito-infested summer climate that I hate, and go to a cool, breezy place to spend the summer, working remotely, where there are kids' activities and no mosquitoes.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to make unemployed 20-somethings bid against each other for the privilege of being my Sugar Baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you thought about sending the 'kids' as packs to relatives?

One relative (Aunt Susan in Iowa) takes the kids for 3 weeks. Then you take your kids and hers for 3 weeks in D.C.. Then Uncle K takes the kids in Florida for 3 weeks.

And so on. That way everyone gets at least 1.5 months of no kids and work done. While you have the kids you and spouse take 1.5 weeks off of vacation time each and split it up that way.

I assume air travel would be involved.

Does it matter? The OP said their entire family has already tested positive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the big deal? Was every minute of your summer scheduled with parents entertaining you in your downtime for 3 straight months whenever you were a kid?

Summers were supposed to be about boredom. Lots of biking riding, book reading, and bad TV. Now they have Netflix, much better video gaming systems, and friends to text with 24-7 without tying up the one phone line in the house. They'll survive just like I survived in the 90s.

It's not about that. It's about three kids entertaining themselves while two adults are in the same house, attempting to do Zoom calls and conference calls and think about work....all at the same time. Without the benefit of being able to hang out with friends, go to the movies, or do lots of other things we all did in the "boredom summers" of the 1980s.

This is about my sanity and ability to my job more than it is about the kids being scheduled with entertainment.

Do you think they will be able to hang out with friends at all by this summer? I’m hoping they will be able to see some. Mine have not seen any, even for bike rides. Hopefully by the summer my oldest can ride his bike with one friend and go out to lunch and my younger child can get together with a friend. I’m also assuming camps will be cancelled. If they can occasionally see a couple friends it will break things up. I’d do that, especially if all of you have already had Covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the big deal? Was every minute of your summer scheduled with parents entertaining you in your downtime for 3 straight months whenever you were a kid?

Summers were supposed to be about boredom. Lots of biking riding, book reading, and bad TV. Now they have Netflix, much better video gaming systems, and friends to text with 24-7 without tying up the one phone line in the house. They'll survive just like I survived in the 90s.

That's what I've told mine. They get to experience an "old school" summer where you sleep until 11, eat lunch, head to the pool (backyard if our neighborhood pool doesn't open) until 4:30, and then head home to have dinner with your parents.

That was literally how almost every day of my summer went until I was old enough to get a job. Then toss in some days of working and that was my summer along with some mall trips and movie trips.

So far, every camp they normally do during the summer has canceled. Two of the four that have jobs have lost their summer jobs as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the big deal? Was every minute of your summer scheduled with parents entertaining you in your downtime for 3 straight months whenever you were a kid?

Summers were supposed to be about boredom. Lots of biking riding, book reading, and bad TV. Now they have Netflix, much better video gaming systems, and friends to text with 24-7 without tying up the one phone line in the house. They'll survive just like I survived in the 90s.

That's what I've told mine. They get to experience an "old school" summer where you sleep until 11, eat lunch, head to the pool (backyard if our neighborhood pool doesn't open) until 4:30, and then head home to have dinner with your parents.

That was literally how almost every day of my summer went until I was old enough to get a job. Then toss in some days of working and that was my summer along with some mall trips and movie trips.

So far, every camp they normally do during the summer has canceled. Two of the four that have jobs have lost their summer jobs as well.

What pool will they be going to? If the pools are open and it’s safe, that is a game changer. I don’t see pools opening.

[Anonymous]

My kids are going to keep the same online school structure with summer learning programs. They’ll do classes in the morning and can play around all afternoon. Then we’ll do something as a family in the evening.