I’m not sure if this is going to come across as a humble brag or a cry for help but here I go… we’re rounding into the 5th week of summer here in the Hudson Valley and my kid is rounding into his 5th different summer camp, he’s going to a total of 7 camps in 8 out of the 10 weeks of his summer break. Crazy stuff right!?
Just before summer kicked off one of my friends posted a sweet article about bringing summer back to lazy unscheduled days, care free and wonderful. (love you Kell) Sounds so good doesn’t it?? She’s a working mom, as am I and she was fortunate enough to have family nearby and is able to give her kids an un-booked summer. Her Facebook post started a full-blown topic discussion; the booked vs.the un-booked, I fell into my own category of the OVERbooked.
The first sign should have been the moment I had to start an actual day planner, flow chart of sorts to track Travis’s summer schedule. On one hand, I am so happy my son is the ideal camper, loves basically everything from Sports to Science and is always down to try something new. We live in a college town environment where many of the campuses have summer offerings,
which are both affordable and enriching + include cafeteria lunch!
Even better he doesn’t need to know anyone in particular to go to a new camp, club or activity. On the other hand, did I say yes to too much? Yep, I did. That’s why it’s called hindsight. I am not sure if it’s the deep down guilt that comes along with being a working mom with a career for the past 6 years that has required a good amount of travel away from home. Maybe it’s the pressure of balancing divorce life and lots of shuffle 365 days a year, I’m not really sure. But I like to say YES to him, I love that he’s so passionate about what he does and that he’s truly a team player with a variety of interests.
I enjoy the balance it provides him, and that he can come home and veg out in gaming mode and we can ”work” together. I am very grateful that my core friends are all busy mamas as well.
There is always some one running across town that can grab an extra kid (“no camper left behind”… thanks Mal!), stop at Starbucks, pull together a meal and most importantly at the end of the day we can download to one another, preferably over a glass of wine. So whatever your choice was this summer, I hope it continues to be amazing, your kids are happy and maybe you’ll have your own takeaways. My takeaway might be for us as a family to be a tiny bit less overbooked next summer… just a smidge!
About the author Jen Roe:
snow riding + bleacher sitting sports mom to Travis, he’s totally rad ~ Director of Sales & Biz Development @ FiveFifty, a Programmatic Media agency, my job is also rad ~ i live, ride & know snow but we also do summer pretty on point! I am a marketer and an influencer, I love to travel, drink good wine, eat good food & wear great denim. Current Location Hudson Valley, NY ~ wannabe location where you are, if it’s cool (I trust you) “Push your limits it’s good for the soul.” ~ Jen Roe
I don’t know about the overbooked or underbooked, but it is necessary to keep kids busy with schedule and different activities so that they can learn better things. Childhood is the best time to learn and explore. More you learn new things better will be your future and it is also good for overall development as kids interact with others.
mines an only so the camper life is super important to both of us !
We had a slow summer this year. My daughter only did 1 camp this year. A Harry Potter Camp. Instead of more camps we got a season pass to the local pool and went swimming every chance we got. The kids and us loved it.
Kids need some structure or they get bored. Bored kids get too creative sometimes at finding things to get into. However, I do agree that being completely overbooked is not a good thing either. Kids need time to be kids.
we’re working on that happy medium and already have a plan moving into next summer. He did have two weeks off!
We’re starting preK with my oldest this year and she’s signed up for ninja warrior classes. I already have a crazy schedule between my exes work schedule and my work. I have no clue how I’m going to do it when my youngest is older
commutation with your ex is key! We may be ex’s but we’ll always be mom and dad soooo we work together in that regard. It works!
Gosh overbooked can be so stressful, but yes, kids need things to do to prevent boredom. I just wrote a blog post about preventing boredom in dogs ironically. I think overbooked might be the better of the two but with balance 😉
agreed. It’s hard we had a 10 week summer this year. Seemed super long before it started now I can’t believe it’s almost over ?
I am always overbooked lately. Running 3 kids to 3 different schools and pickups. It’s crazy!
that’s the hardest. 3 in 3 different places. I watch that business from afar. I help my friends in those situations whenever possible! It def takes a village ?
Wow! That looks like a great summer! So much diversity in the activities!
his takeaway “I’m really tired” lol just wait he’s starting middle school work a 7:55am. So one would say this camper is prepped!! thanks ?
It sounds like a fun summer even if it was overbooked. We took an underbooked one this year. After years of being overbooked during summer, it was much needed.
yes! Good for you guys. I honestly see the benefits in both! Happy back to school xo
I’m not good at sitting still, so I tend to overbook my kids and myself. We went the other direction this summer and underbooked. Didn’t suit us at all. There’s got to be a middle ground for us all.
I think I figured it out >> more weeks at the camp closet to home, with the longest day, and the lowest price lol he likes that one best anyway ?
It is a tough balance for sure! I have three kids and there were weeks that I packed with acitivities or plans and it kicked our butt. However, one week of not doing much and my kids (and me) we’re going stir crazy. Summer is a fun time, enjoying the days however way possible is the best plan!
I think having kids occupied is important and also use the vacation time for them to learn other stuff they do not learn at school is important and those camps are perfect for that.
I think as long as kids are healthy and happy then it doesn’t matter how you managed the summer. And it looks to me like Travis had a great time, even if you overbooked a little 🙂
Louise x
thank you !! He did indeed xo
This summer was our most un-booked so far. Mostly because we moved over the summer. I try to find a balance between camps and down time. We all do the best we can, right?