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[quote=Anonymous]OP, I think I get it now. You just haven't had the exposure to these sorts of parenting issues that so many of us take for granted. Here's some thoughts I hope are helpful. I've raised three kids to early adulthood, for what that's worth.

You might assume everyone has parenting all figured out or that there's a "best" way to do things as a parent. You would be wrong. Some parents believe in scheduling kids every week of the summer for camps, programs while others prefer to use summer as unstructured downtime. Some parents go crazy having their kids home all summer with no set plans, whereas other parents look forward to the lack of schedule and figure kids need to be bored for a while to figure out things to do on their own.

Probably the most popular approach (unless parents work full time and need constant supervised care) is some of each. The kids do some weeks of camp, or maybe they do programs part of the day, and the remainder is filled with hanging out, trips to museums or parks with you, or vacations as a family. It sounds like having more structure would be good for you and your kids. Sit down with a calendar and make a plan everyone can live with. If you do this you will feel more in control, and your kids will have a clearer sense of expectations.

Don't let your kids sleep in every day or play video or computer games to the exclusion of everything else. Plan a trip to the zoo, take them to the beach for the day, even just go to a park for a couple of hours and have a picnic lunch. Find places where you can drop in and do art projects, or find half-day sports camps that still have openings.

Most of all, don't judge yourself and think you're not doing it right. Having kids home during the summer is hard for lots of us. There's a reason Staples ran that ad for years where the parent jubilantly shops for back-to-school supplies to the tune "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Just do your best. There's always next summer to plan something earlier. For now, just do your best.[/quote]

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