I loved our rec center camp when I was growing up! I was discouraged by my oldest not enjoying the one I sent him to the first summer I had him in camps and I haven’t sent him back to that one. Due to our extended year calendar we only have 7 weeks of summer break and typically 2 weeks of beach trips/one mountains trip for a few days at the 4th. I have tried at least one new week long camp every summer with my boys and this year there will be 2. My kids haven’t always liked every camp but they always have at least one new friend to tell me about by the end of the week and I know I can’t protect them from every feeling of awkwardness.
They are going to a Toy Story theater camp in a few weeks and I’m interested to see if they enjoy it, my 9 yo niece loved being in the spring musical at her school and I told them if they liked these short scenes we can talk about doing something longer term!
My oldest didn’t like science center camp a couple years ago because he got scared of the Omni sphere shows and it’s always been one of his favorite places to go/sells out quickly so that was another moment for me of feeling like my expectations of what he would enjoy were out of line with reality. I think there’s a big element of giving ourselves grace that summer doesn’t have to be perfect, there will still be boring days, and we will all be disappointed at times even when we are “supposed to be” having fun. I’ve noticed my youngest has dysregulation away from home and especially on Heydary beach trips where we have 5 cousins, I know he can feel a bit steam rolled when there are so many competing personalities. I have wondered many times if I should try to coordinate more with other friends for camps but thankfully they usually end up knowing someone regardless. My sister and SILs’ kids are attending their school based camps but part of me likes that my kids go a bit out of their comfort zones. And it’s very nice I have managed to get them in the same camps these last two summers so at least they have each other even if they aren’t always in the same group!
I always associate summer with having a lot of time to read and relax in the sun and I am starting to be able to read more at the beach as my kids get older so I’m looking forward to our family trip in a couple weeks.
Toy Story theater camp sounds so fun!! Archie is gonna try one very short theater camp this summer, too. I'm very curious how he likes it.
I really appreciate the invitation to give more grace. Too much pressure to be happy always backfires.
Also, I can't believe you only have 7 weeks of summer. Can you say more about why that is? Is it because of the weather? We have almost 12 this year. I'm sweating!!
Our particular school is a magnet that was year round with only 4 weeks of “summer break” in the 90s, we have 4 extended year schools in the district and my kids got into this one. It’s a global studies school with multiple global days every quarter that are non curriculum days. The traditional calendar is 10 weeks of summer in our district. Most of the cousins are in private school and all finished around Memorial Day.
As a kid, we went to summer camp at the rec center that we went to for after school during the school year that was right next to our elementary school. We went on field trips to the pool and zoo and bowling, and had a lot of fun! We also went on yearly family beach trips (which we are still doing now but just shorter for me because of work).
I worked at the same summer camp I had attended as a child for four summers (summer of 2008-summer of 2011) before I moved out for good when I moved in with my sister for grad school. I still worked at a summer camp for two more summers during grad school, but it was a space camp that was only 6 weeks, and it was kind of a stop gap the summer before we got married because I didn’t want to be working a ton when there was so much to do.
I also worked at summer camp with the preschool I worked at from 2016-2019 and was one of the only adults who didn’t mind the pool, so I was popular because I would jump off the high dive.
The childcare center I have worked at since 2019 is year round so they don’t really have summer camp per se although sometimes teachers with older kids will bring their young elementary age kids who will spend time with the 4-5 year old class.
My daughter is going to her first summer camp this year (she was always at my center from when she was a baby until she graduated from preK last summer). The camp we enrolled her in has the same hours from what we were used to for the school year with afterschool (7:30-5:30), and it’s a church camp, so it’s actually at the same campus she goes to for school during the year, so that’s been super convenient to have that same drop off place.
She’s been at camp for a few days and seems to be enjoying it although she only has a few kids she knows from school, so she’s in making friends mode. They will be going on two field trips a week, and she’s really looking forward to bowling and the pool because it has a splash pad!
Oh wow--you know all about summer camp from all the sides!! Two field trips a week sounds amazing. I know that is what A is most excited for at his camps.
This is making me remember how much I loved the camps I went to--even if they weren't perfect every moment of every day because of course. It was just fun to be trying something new and different from the school year.
I really enjoyed this. I live near a state park and there’s a swimming hole close to the trail I hike and seeing all the kids out there splashing around lately has felt so nostalgic. I may join them one day.
Ok I too have been completely enraptured by Off Campus- for all the reasons you stated. 🥰😍
“I get to do that” is something I continue to remind myself. There is freedom in being my own boss and in equal measure, the yank of potential well running dry. I gave myself permission to put work away for two days this past week and wander on the coastline of Maine. The kid in me came out. And my draft is sitting to be published tomorrow and reading this from you now is affirmation that yeah, I can let the kid in me come out. Parallel - you and I. ✨
I wished we lived closer to one another so we could parallel play this summer.
Yayyy I'm glad you've dipped your toe into the Off Campus world.
When I typed that sentence it washed over me again. I'm needing to practice that skill a lot lately, parts of me feeling meek/nervous and remembering, as you say, that I'm my own boss (in more than one way). I CAN'T wait to look at all your pics from Maine in your newest piece and I saw you linked to this post. I'm so curious. It's where I'm headed next. (also it's very coincidental hearing you talk about being your own boss because as I packed for the trip I'm on, I listened to your interview with Elena Brower (!!!! so cool) and heard you talk more about that.
Me too, me too!! I'm still hopeful it will happen someday.
Okay, you might be a mind reader because I have been planning my own summer camp list over here. I was coming up with a list of all the things I wanted to do with my kids, and then I realized I needed to make space for my own fun and learning this summer, too. The changing schedules every week does feel overwhelming to me (we all thrive on routines over here), but I'm leaning into the fluidity of it all as best as I can.
haha while I'd like to claim clairvoyance, I think so many of us moms are feeling this crunch. Also, I don't think I was aware of how much I love (desperately need) a routine until after becoming a parent.
Summer used to be such an exciting time for me. Now that I think back to it, it was the time I felt most me and I could adventure with my friends. Thanks for the prompt
I'm so glad I'm not alone in this. It was strangely vulnerable to admit I've unconsciously become the scrooge of summer, ha! I like the idea to give yourself little things every day.
First of all, ty for the shoutout! I own that LoF combo (with the Top Shelf top instead of the Sunday top), and I loved it so much I bought a second set :)
I feel like summer has felt more like summer now that my kids are older, and now that we have the camp thing/childcare figured out. I also struggle to find what is sweet in any given situation as I'm always stressed about logistics, but now that we have more of a routine, it's easier for me to not stress (still working on the finding the joy!!). My kids alternate camp weeks with weeks at the beach with my in-laws (we are so incredibly fortunate, I know), which gives my husband and I time to enjoy ourselves as well.
My son is a very sensitive, not very outgoing kid, and I had similar worries about him not having buddies at camp, but he's been able to make camp friends quickly and easily, so I'm sure your son will do the same <3
A good swim suit is truly sacred to me at this point in life.
I'm hoping that with time I will feel a *bit* more ease. It's very reminiscent of how I felt before we started Kindergarten and that all regulated eventually. Weeks at the beach with grandparents makes me teary-eyed--so sweet <3
I suspect you're right. He's more of an observer, as I am, and then he slowly starts to figure out where he wants to be, who he wants to play with. But he also gives me ZERO details so I have very little clue what his day is actually like. It's like he's training to be a spy or something. Like I'm begging for one single nugget of information.
Ha SAME. My son gives one word answers and is hard to break open, but mostly because I suspect he's not always sure what he's feeling in the moment and it takes him awhile to figure things out. Whereas my daughter comes home with full dissertations on the day, and the names, addresses, and social security numbers of everyone she meets 😂
I loved our rec center camp when I was growing up! I was discouraged by my oldest not enjoying the one I sent him to the first summer I had him in camps and I haven’t sent him back to that one. Due to our extended year calendar we only have 7 weeks of summer break and typically 2 weeks of beach trips/one mountains trip for a few days at the 4th. I have tried at least one new week long camp every summer with my boys and this year there will be 2. My kids haven’t always liked every camp but they always have at least one new friend to tell me about by the end of the week and I know I can’t protect them from every feeling of awkwardness.
They are going to a Toy Story theater camp in a few weeks and I’m interested to see if they enjoy it, my 9 yo niece loved being in the spring musical at her school and I told them if they liked these short scenes we can talk about doing something longer term!
My oldest didn’t like science center camp a couple years ago because he got scared of the Omni sphere shows and it’s always been one of his favorite places to go/sells out quickly so that was another moment for me of feeling like my expectations of what he would enjoy were out of line with reality. I think there’s a big element of giving ourselves grace that summer doesn’t have to be perfect, there will still be boring days, and we will all be disappointed at times even when we are “supposed to be” having fun. I’ve noticed my youngest has dysregulation away from home and especially on Heydary beach trips where we have 5 cousins, I know he can feel a bit steam rolled when there are so many competing personalities. I have wondered many times if I should try to coordinate more with other friends for camps but thankfully they usually end up knowing someone regardless. My sister and SILs’ kids are attending their school based camps but part of me likes that my kids go a bit out of their comfort zones. And it’s very nice I have managed to get them in the same camps these last two summers so at least they have each other even if they aren’t always in the same group!
I always associate summer with having a lot of time to read and relax in the sun and I am starting to be able to read more at the beach as my kids get older so I’m looking forward to our family trip in a couple weeks.
Toy Story theater camp sounds so fun!! Archie is gonna try one very short theater camp this summer, too. I'm very curious how he likes it.
I really appreciate the invitation to give more grace. Too much pressure to be happy always backfires.
Also, I can't believe you only have 7 weeks of summer. Can you say more about why that is? Is it because of the weather? We have almost 12 this year. I'm sweating!!
Our particular school is a magnet that was year round with only 4 weeks of “summer break” in the 90s, we have 4 extended year schools in the district and my kids got into this one. It’s a global studies school with multiple global days every quarter that are non curriculum days. The traditional calendar is 10 weeks of summer in our district. Most of the cousins are in private school and all finished around Memorial Day.
Ahhh I see-that makes sense!!
As a kid, we went to summer camp at the rec center that we went to for after school during the school year that was right next to our elementary school. We went on field trips to the pool and zoo and bowling, and had a lot of fun! We also went on yearly family beach trips (which we are still doing now but just shorter for me because of work).
I worked at the same summer camp I had attended as a child for four summers (summer of 2008-summer of 2011) before I moved out for good when I moved in with my sister for grad school. I still worked at a summer camp for two more summers during grad school, but it was a space camp that was only 6 weeks, and it was kind of a stop gap the summer before we got married because I didn’t want to be working a ton when there was so much to do.
I also worked at summer camp with the preschool I worked at from 2016-2019 and was one of the only adults who didn’t mind the pool, so I was popular because I would jump off the high dive.
The childcare center I have worked at since 2019 is year round so they don’t really have summer camp per se although sometimes teachers with older kids will bring their young elementary age kids who will spend time with the 4-5 year old class.
My daughter is going to her first summer camp this year (she was always at my center from when she was a baby until she graduated from preK last summer). The camp we enrolled her in has the same hours from what we were used to for the school year with afterschool (7:30-5:30), and it’s a church camp, so it’s actually at the same campus she goes to for school during the year, so that’s been super convenient to have that same drop off place.
She’s been at camp for a few days and seems to be enjoying it although she only has a few kids she knows from school, so she’s in making friends mode. They will be going on two field trips a week, and she’s really looking forward to bowling and the pool because it has a splash pad!
Oh wow--you know all about summer camp from all the sides!! Two field trips a week sounds amazing. I know that is what A is most excited for at his camps.
This is making me remember how much I loved the camps I went to--even if they weren't perfect every moment of every day because of course. It was just fun to be trying something new and different from the school year.
Thank you for sharing my piece!
I really enjoyed this. I live near a state park and there’s a swimming hole close to the trail I hike and seeing all the kids out there splashing around lately has felt so nostalgic. I may join them one day.
(happy to)
and this.is.exactly.what.I'm.talking.about!!!
I love that you got married at camp 🥹
But yes LORD HELP ME this summer. In denial. Still.
Denial is also a part of my tool box, ha! I am hoping you will share lots of lake life pictures. I need them until I'm on one again.
Ok I too have been completely enraptured by Off Campus- for all the reasons you stated. 🥰😍
“I get to do that” is something I continue to remind myself. There is freedom in being my own boss and in equal measure, the yank of potential well running dry. I gave myself permission to put work away for two days this past week and wander on the coastline of Maine. The kid in me came out. And my draft is sitting to be published tomorrow and reading this from you now is affirmation that yeah, I can let the kid in me come out. Parallel - you and I. ✨
I wished we lived closer to one another so we could parallel play this summer.
Yayyy I'm glad you've dipped your toe into the Off Campus world.
When I typed that sentence it washed over me again. I'm needing to practice that skill a lot lately, parts of me feeling meek/nervous and remembering, as you say, that I'm my own boss (in more than one way). I CAN'T wait to look at all your pics from Maine in your newest piece and I saw you linked to this post. I'm so curious. It's where I'm headed next. (also it's very coincidental hearing you talk about being your own boss because as I packed for the trip I'm on, I listened to your interview with Elena Brower (!!!! so cool) and heard you talk more about that.
Me too, me too!! I'm still hopeful it will happen someday.
Okay, you might be a mind reader because I have been planning my own summer camp list over here. I was coming up with a list of all the things I wanted to do with my kids, and then I realized I needed to make space for my own fun and learning this summer, too. The changing schedules every week does feel overwhelming to me (we all thrive on routines over here), but I'm leaning into the fluidity of it all as best as I can.
haha while I'd like to claim clairvoyance, I think so many of us moms are feeling this crunch. Also, I don't think I was aware of how much I love (desperately need) a routine until after becoming a parent.
Summer used to be such an exciting time for me. Now that I think back to it, it was the time I felt most me and I could adventure with my friends. Thanks for the prompt
This made me smile to read. Free and adventuring and being yourself. The essence of summer.
Summer is so hard for me too!! I’ve really been leaning into little challenges everyday to help my mindset around it. 🫶🏻
I'm so glad I'm not alone in this. It was strangely vulnerable to admit I've unconsciously become the scrooge of summer, ha! I like the idea to give yourself little things every day.
First of all, ty for the shoutout! I own that LoF combo (with the Top Shelf top instead of the Sunday top), and I loved it so much I bought a second set :)
I feel like summer has felt more like summer now that my kids are older, and now that we have the camp thing/childcare figured out. I also struggle to find what is sweet in any given situation as I'm always stressed about logistics, but now that we have more of a routine, it's easier for me to not stress (still working on the finding the joy!!). My kids alternate camp weeks with weeks at the beach with my in-laws (we are so incredibly fortunate, I know), which gives my husband and I time to enjoy ourselves as well.
My son is a very sensitive, not very outgoing kid, and I had similar worries about him not having buddies at camp, but he's been able to make camp friends quickly and easily, so I'm sure your son will do the same <3
A good swim suit is truly sacred to me at this point in life.
I'm hoping that with time I will feel a *bit* more ease. It's very reminiscent of how I felt before we started Kindergarten and that all regulated eventually. Weeks at the beach with grandparents makes me teary-eyed--so sweet <3
I suspect you're right. He's more of an observer, as I am, and then he slowly starts to figure out where he wants to be, who he wants to play with. But he also gives me ZERO details so I have very little clue what his day is actually like. It's like he's training to be a spy or something. Like I'm begging for one single nugget of information.
Ha SAME. My son gives one word answers and is hard to break open, but mostly because I suspect he's not always sure what he's feeling in the moment and it takes him awhile to figure things out. Whereas my daughter comes home with full dissertations on the day, and the names, addresses, and social security numbers of everyone she meets 😂