My mom was a teacher so she was home. We spent most of the day playing with neighbors outside or in their homes. Pretend, video games, yard games, etc. I did sleep away camp for a week or two once I was 12, but by then I'd outgrown playing with my neighbors and was pretty bored. Then I worked once I was 16.

My mom was a teacher so we always had someone at home during summer breaks. We would usually take a 2 week vacation, summer camp for 1-2 weeks when we were older. The rest of the time we were at home or at the pool with friends.

My mom SAH until I was 10. Summer was a mix of running around with neighborhood kids, exploring the woods, going for bike rides, going to the pool, the library, and also lots of TV. We took cheap beach and camping vacations with other families and I spent a lot of time at friends' houses, usually playing unsupervised outside or in someone's unfinished basement.

My mom went back to work when I was 10 and we moved to a new neighborhood where my house had a pool, and from then on we had a mix of babysitters and day camps/sports camps/overnight camps in the summer, but it was still pretty unstructured. I loved it. I still miss it! My kids have two WOH parents and I worry that they don't get that lazy, unstructured summer time that was so awesome to me when I was young.

Anonymous wrote:this has been the best thread I have read in a long time. I just phoned my 80- something parents and thanked them for the great childhood they gave me --especially the carefree summers of mom at home, reading, biking, growing backyard tomatoes, shucking corn we bought at the local farm stand for dinner, taking the public bus alone (age 10!) to the library, walking to the public pool, etc etc.

I thanked Mom especially for quitting her secretary job each summer to be home with us -- they always hired her back when school started in September

Amazing. I wish I could do that for my children.

My parents were physicians. I had great summers. Sleepaway camp, day camp, lots of time with friends and cousins.

Anonymous wrote:this has been the best thread I have read in a long time. I just phoned my 80- something parents and thanked them for the great childhood they gave me --especially the carefree summers of mom at home, reading, biking, growing backyard tomatoes, shucking corn we bought at the local farm stand for dinner, taking the public bus alone (age 10!) to the library, walking to the public pool, etc etc.

I thanked Mom especially for quitting her secretary job each summer to be home with us -- they always hired her back when school started in September

Yep. My childhood was similar, although my mom didn't work. That's very sweet that they kept rehiring her … another thing that has changed dramatically, I fear.

PP here - forgot to add we also did two-week overnight camps as well

Parents worked. Stayed home with siblings (one 3 years older, 1 1 year younger). Went to Vacation Bible School from about 9-2, then came home and played on our street until mom came home around 5 or 6. No need for a formal babysitter as all of the old ladies and neighbors on the block always looked out for us.

Day camps when I was little and then sleepaway camp for most of the summer from 4th-11th grade. And then one week of family vacation.

Ugh, Vacation Bible School. I forgot about that. That's the only camp experience I had and it was...underwhelming. I was sent at age 11 or so. There was only one other kid there.

We send our kid to a variety of fun camps--much better options than when I was a kid in a small town.

My mom worked nights as a nurse. I played around the house, read books and watched movies while she slept. When I was preschool aged I went to vacation bible school for a few hours a day for a couple of weeks. When I was older from 9-13 I got to go to sleep away camp for 2 weeks. That was bliss.

I'm sad that my kids can't stay at home alone or CPS will get called. I enjoyed my freedom as a child. No wonder our kids are so stressed out.

My mom stayed at home. When we were younger, we played outside with neighborhood kids and went to the pool. I think Vacation Bible School might have been in the mix at some point. When I was older, my best friend and I would roam all over town - pool, tennis, random wandering. Usually our entire family would take one car trip at some point, cramming the three kids into the back of the station wagon, where we would proceed to torture each other until our dad yelled at us.

Good times.

I work full time so my daughter goes to various camps for eight weeks. She takes a vacation with me and my family for one week and a vacation with dad and his family for one week, and seems to enjoy her summers.

Mom sah. I played outside with the other kids. That’s it.

this has been the best thread I have read in a long time. I just phoned my 80- something parents and thanked them for the great childhood they gave me --especially the carefree summers of mom at home, reading, biking, growing backyard tomatoes, shucking corn we bought at the local farm stand for dinner, taking the public bus alone (age 10!) to the library, walking to the public pool, etc etc.

I thanked Mom especially for quitting her secretary job each summer to be home with us -- they always hired her back when school started in September

Played outside, read books, sat in front of the tv with a bowl of Fruit Loops- no one was home with me.