Anonymous wrote:School doesn't let out until June 25th.

3-4 weeks of day camps that they seriously love! 9-3pm.

2-3 weeks away on family vacation (usually a long weekend after school and then 3 weeks off in August).

A week or two to chill. I WAH.

I get 5.5 weeks of annual leave and I tend to use 4 weeks in the summer. Other time at Xmas, few days spring break.

I did try the no camp for most of the summer and it was painful since so many friends travel at different times of the summer or are in camps. Summer isn't like it was in my childhood---but I try to make it relaxed and fun.

oh--9-year old and 11-year old (turns 12 in September) boys.

School doesn't let out until June 25th.

3-4 weeks of day camps that they seriously love! 9-3pm.

2-3 weeks away on family vacation (usually a long weekend after school and then 3 weeks off in August).

A week or two to chill. I WAH.

I get 5.5 weeks of annual leave and I tend to use 4 weeks in the summer. Other time at Xmas, few days spring break.

I did try the no camp for most of the summer and it was painful since so many friends travel at different times of the summer or are in camps. Summer isn't like it was in my childhood---but I try to make it relaxed and fun.

I think it totally depends on your kid, where you live, and what would be ok with you. I live in a small town North of Boston near the beach. It's safe, kids ride bikes, go into town alone, swim at the pool, etc. BUT, my DS who is 11 does 3 weeks of overnight camp plus two weeks of day camp. The other weeks we have a week on the Cape, and two weeks of no camp. My son is responsible, but pretty unmotivated to get up off the couch unless it is to go across the street to hang with our neighbors, who I am not so sure I want him hanging out with. There is no supervision there and they spend a LOT of time on the computer and eating junk. While I am OK with that very occasionally, Summers are so short here and I really want him outside, being active and enjoying the warm weather (if it ever gets here0 it is 50 today, sigh). Camp is the best way for him to do that, unless I am home and we can enjoy the beach and pool and fun outings together.

My eldest is 11.5 and we're letting him stay home this summer. He is doing swim and tennis in the AM but otherwise is free to do whatever. Likely he'll sit at home and watch TV, but we're hoping he'll hang out at the pool.

At our neighborhood pool 8-year-olds can be there alone as long as they pass the swim test.

Anonymous wrote:My DS switched to working at a camp as a CIT when he was 13. He hangs out at home the first and last weeks of the summer, we go on a family vacation for 2 weeks. He loves this camp and looks forward to becoming paid staff when he's 16.

My DD is 12 this year and will probably continue to do camps for longer because she loves the set of camps she now goes to and most of them are for kids up to 15 -- a 2-week sleepaway camp, local nature camp, and art studio. She hopes to transition into being a counselor at the local nature camp.

agree-my son will turn 14 this summer, starting as a CIT. No other camps though. He plays tennis most nights of the week during the summer.

I'm a working parent and my rising 7th and 8th graders will not be in camp all summer. They will have maybe 3 weeks worth of camp each, but the rest of the time they will be home alone. Mostly, it's because they have lost interest in the affordable day camps. They may become CITs at some point, but for this summer they are just going to hang out at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like a lot of these responses are from stay-at-home moms?

I'm wondering what the working parents do because I'm in the same situation as OP.

I'm a working parent my son is 12:

He is doing day camp all summer except:

3 weeks of sleepover camp, 1 week vacation, and 1 week of nothing. During that week of nothing I told him he could stay home by himself as a trial for two days if he walked the dog and went to the pool. (Our pool does not have a rule of how old your child has to be to be alone, that I know of. I started letting him go alone last year). The other 3 days I plan to take off of work.)

Next year we are talking about 6 weeks sleep over camp (he loves it), or some combination swim team/volunteering. He does not want to be in day camps. I do not want him sitting home all day.

Before someone lectures me about:

1: sending my child away all summer-I did it and I loved it and I don't care what you think.
2: Having my child in camps all summer, I work and this is what it is like when both parents work.

Working parent here, with a 7th grader and young elementary kid. Both kids are in camps, with the exception of weeks when we'll be away on vacation and a week or two at the end where I can "work from home" and let them chill at the pool or in front of the Xbox. This is reasonably normal among the 13yo's friends - many are at sleep away camps, or Boy Scouts, etc. The only friend of his who gets to stay home alone is crazy lonely.

I hope this will change a bit next year, but I don't envision a time where I'd just leave my kid the keys and let him stay home alone all day for weeks on end. There are a few families in our neighborhood who let their tween or young teen spend all day at the pool. Nice kids for the most part, but I always order extra pizza because they are usually hungry.

Ps. PP here. I am 44 so this was during the late '80s when parental routinely ignored their kids so I wasn't being helicoptered!

We're not there yet but I assume that as my kids lent from caps get older they will transition into summer school types of programs and/or jobs and/or a mix. I certainly wouldn't let them to their own devices all summer long!

My parents both worked and I was never left in my own for entire weeks. Maybe an odd day here and there but I went from camps to CIT to working...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I WOH and we have gone from 8 weeks of day camp to 6 and now 4 at 7, just about to turn 8. A lot of it though is that I have more flexibility with work now, school is starting earlier, and DS is starting on the swim team. I agree with others that two to three week of complete downtime is probably enough. As much as I like to let DS have downtime; he invariably ends up on the iPad, etc.

I have also though about some half day options as a nice balance. There is a golf camp near us that is half day, and we are thinking of trying that.

I'm the mom who let her kids start not having full summers of camp at 12. But how do you manage half day camps? Do you live near the home or camp? Hire someone to drive?

My youngest is desperate for a particular half-day camp, and I'm fine with him (14) being home alone for half a day. But the camp isn't close enough to our house for him to bike or walk safely, no public transportation options... and I'm going to be at work. I'd love ideas if you have them.

Uber

Carpool

Last summer, I saw my neighbor's two boys at our pool a lot of days. Both parents work full time in DC, and the boys were rising 7th and 9th graders. They had packed a lunch and could walk there & back. I'm sure they had some tasks to complete at home, and then it was just playing with any kids hanging around the neighborhood. Dad's usually home by 4:30.

I'm the WOH mom who mentioned half day camps. I think if we tried this it might be a bit of grandparent help and possibly one of us leaving early a day or two. The other thing that has worked for us though is our DS has a friend in the neighborhood whose mom is a SAHM, and occasionally the kids will do classes, etc. together. This has allowed us to help one another with logistics. Some friends at our pool also hire high school or college kids for driving and minor childcare. Our pool distributes a list of kids interested in this type of work.