Some parents I know are in a panic right now, wondering what they ll do with their offspring during this long, hot stretch of days. Part of their alarm stems from the denial they ve lived in for the past few months. But they hoped they could hold it off simply by not making plans. They wake up in a sweat at night, wondering how the Sam Hill they are going to entertain their kids for three months. They scramble to find empty slots for camps, swimming lessons and any other activity that takes up time.
Summer school is suddenly an alluring option.
Sending the whole crew to Grandma s house on a plane doesn t sound so bad either. When my two oldest kids were in first grade and kindergarten, my answer was to schedule every minute of their summer. Some mothers like blank stretches of time with lively children underfoot. Long before the last day of school, I spread books and pamphlets in front of me at the dining room table and filled a calendar with kid-friendly activities. Some were homegrown exercises with a school twist, such as reading contests and creative ways to learn math.