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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm not sure exactly where I land on this because I would need a lot more info. But I do want to relate the following:

I worked really hard every summer off in college and grad school. I had jobs, internships, volunteer work. I worked on a presidential campaign. I worked on campus and off campus, plus picked up tutoring gigs and taught test prep classes. I also took extra classes in the summer before my junior and senior year because I changed my major and still wanted to graduate on time. I never once had a relaxed or aimless summer from the age of about 16 on.

And I regret it. At this point I've gotten over it (I'm in my 40s now), but in my late 20s and early 30s I hit a point of serious burnout and realized that back when my friends had been having some aimless, relaxed summers in college, they'd been accomplishing something important, too. At the time I'd felt like that was a waste, that I needed to hustle if I was going to achieve my goals. But I could have done much, much less and still accomplished what I wanted. I did drive myself mildly crazy and in retrospect a lot of my efforts were due to intense anxiety over money (I mostly self-funded school) and my future. I think I would have benefited from taking at least one of those summers and just cutting myself some slack. Work a part-time job at a bookstore, spend the rest of the time reading, hiking, and going out with friends. This is what I would advise to most college students trying to figure how to make the most of that time. I know it's trite, but college really is about "finding yourself" to some degree. And being laser focused on career goals is not a great way to find yourself.

Cut your college kids a break. I think I would encourage them to do something with their summer, even if it's just read some classic novels or take a writing class. But I don't think it's a big deal if they don't want to spend their summer working a career-focused job or padding their resumes or whatever. They have plenty of time.[/quote]

There really is a middle ground between "work yourself to the bone," and "spend the whole summer slacking off on your parents' dime."  Personally, I had to work during the summers because my family wasn't rolling in dough, so I had to earn my own spending money.  But I didn't work a full-time job on top of a bunch of other stuff.  I had time to relax and have fun, too.

I would not be okay with my kid just "relaxing" all summer.  If she doesn't need to work, she can get a part-time job, or volunteer somewhere, or take a class, or learn an instrument, or something.  But you need something to structure your time, not just loaf around for two or three months.  
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