Anonymous wrote:I had two working parents. With two siblings 4 and 7 years older, we stayed home and played outside for basically the entire day. We would go all over the place and be home by dark. I can remember doing this as young as 5 with my older brother and sister. We only watched TV at night and on the weekends. My parents definitely didn't put a lot of thought into amusing us. By contrast, I feel like I constantly worry about what will keep my son amused and busy.

I find that parents who have an only child feel more personally responsible to keep them entertained than parents with more than one kid do!

I had two working parents. With two siblings 4 and 7 years older, we stayed home and played outside for basically the entire day. We would go all over the place and be home by dark. I can remember doing this as young as 5 with my older brother and sister. We only watched TV at night and on the weekends. My parents definitely didn't put a lot of thought into amusing us. By contrast, I feel like I constantly worry about what will keep my son amused and busy.

Anonymous wrote:Bored and watched a ton of tv. Immigrant parents. Dad worked, mom was stayed at home but never learned how to drive and we were poverty line poor so never went anywhere.
Huge difference in kids' Summers compared to mine and happy for it.

Similar experience here--immigrant parents, although both worked (they had flexible schedules). My husband just asked me yesterday what summer camps I attended as a kid--none, my parents couldn't really afford it with solidly middle class incomes and three kids. Plus, I don't think there were many camps in our southern small town.

We are fortunate to be able to pay for sleepaway and various day camps for our kid in her interest areas. In our neighborhood, kids are typically at camp or on vacation during the summers.

I had a SAHM but Dad worked two jobs. I wanted to go to camp but was told we couldn't afford it. We did have an above ground pool and then when I was 13 we had a beautiful in-ground put in (this was on Long Island) through a large, large tax refund one year. I spent most of the time riding my bike around with friends or in the pool. I did occasionally take random lessons through the county. One summer I did group tennis lessons every week and I also usually had a dance class of some sort.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s up with all the posters who had mothers who were either sahms or teachers?! Were there no other options back then?

Seriously! Are these posters all in their 50s and 60s?? I’m 35 and my mom was an attorney. I went to a day camp.

Err, whatup with you?? I am late 50s with 3 teenagers. My mom was a part-time secretary. She had kids so she could raise them, not leave them with nannies. She said women who spend all their time at work really didn't want kids, and when I read crap attitudes like yours I believe her. Hopefully your mom was a part-time attorney so she could be with her kids as much as possible. What is the point, otherwise?

I am one of the PPs up thread who had an amazing childhood with her mom siblings at home, reading and riding bikes and walking to/from the local pool without a dime in our pockets. At 12 we started babysitting other people's kids so then we got lots of snacks!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s up with all the posters who had mothers who were either sahms or teachers?! Were there no other options back then?

Seriously! Are these posters all in their 50s and 60s?? I’m 35 and my mom was an attorney. I went to a day camp.

Im 33. My mom was a teacher (interestingly, my sister and I became teachers too). Why is it surprising that a lot of families had SAHP or educator parents?

Because one generation of SAHMs just isn’t enough mommy war fodder for some people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s up with all the posters who had mothers who were either sahms or teachers?! Were there no other options back then?

Seriously! Are these posters all in their 50s and 60s?? I’m 35 and my mom was an attorney. I went to a day camp.

I’m 41. My mom was a teacher, as were several of my aunts and uncles. Teaching is a very honorable profession. Too bad it isn’t recognized as such and compensated accordingly.
FWIW, I’m an engineer. I love my job, but I do sometimes lament the fact that my children won’t ever have that lazy, carefree summer experience

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s up with all the posters who had mothers who were either sahms or teachers?! Were there no other options back then?

Seriously! Are these posters all in their 50s and 60s?? I’m 35 and my mom was an attorney. I went to a day camp.

Im 33. My mom was a teacher (interestingly, my sister and I became teachers too). Why is it surprising that a lot of families had SAHP or educator parents?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s up with all the posters who had mothers who were either sahms or teachers?! Were there no other options back then?

Seriously! Are these posters all in their 50s and 60s?? I’m 35 and my mom was an attorney. I went to a day camp.

I'm 35. Was raised in the conservative Evangelical subculture, therefore my mom SAH and so did most of my friends' moms. We spent the summer at each other's houses playing in the yards or in the woods around (DC suburbs, but there were woods). I went to camp a handful of summers if my friends were going, at most for a week. We usually did a week-long vacation somewhere, but it was small.

I'm in my 40s and both parents worked, mom was a secretary at the time.

I stayed home by myself from 8 on, and watched TV, played outside, fixed myself lunch, and read. Once a week or so I went to work with my mom and filed and alphabetized for her. No camps, we went on vacation to see family for a week, usually.

Anonymous wrote:What’s up with all the posters who had mothers who were either sahms or teachers?! Were there no other options back then?

Seriously! Are these posters all in their 50s and 60s?? I’m 35 and my mom was an attorney. I went to a day camp.

My brother and I went to 8 weeks of camp starting when I was almost 4 and he was almost 6. My mom stayed home. Literally everyone I knew went to camp like this. It wasn't "what are you doing this summer?" but "which camp do you go to?"

I did not know a kid who didn't go to camp until I was in 9th grade.

Bored and watched a ton of tv. Immigrant parents. Dad worked, mom was stayed at home but never learned how to drive and we were poverty line poor so never went anywhere.
Huge difference in kids' Summers compared to mine and happy for it.

8 weeks of overnight camp in New Hampshire. Loved every second of it.

I read all day, every day and went for walks with my mother. She didn't let me socialize or wander off.

I am now exceptionally well read!