School is over. Great if you’re a kid. Summer’s were not designed with working mothers in mind, however.
When I was a kid, we actually had “down time” in the summer to play with our toys, neighbors, and just hang out. These days, kid’s seem to spend their days at structured camps with no chance to pause and unwind. How can that create independent, expressive kids? When will they squeeze in time to exercise their imaginations?
So, as the anal-retentive mother that I am, I sought a schedule that included both down time at home and new camp experiences. This summer my kids will experience tennis, gymnastics, performance arts, swimming, and robot-building. But they’ll also hang out at home with an in-home sitter while I work. I’m only going in to the office one day/week for meetings over the summer which will enable me to orchestrate and execute this maze of color-coded activities.
It will be exhausting, I know. I’ve already had to make two schedule changes to accommodate sitter schedules and sick days and we’re just one week into it. But hey, flexibility is where it’s at, right?
If anyone knows of an online tool to better manage a summer schedule than my color coded table in a Word Doc, PLEASE let me know!
Happy summer everyone!
