The One Thing As a Mom I Can’t Do Without: Summer Camps

We’re in the last dog days of summer.  The school bell will ring in 3 days.  But who’s counting?

Not me!

And if you believe that, then I need to sell you some oceanfront property in Arizona.

We’ve had a great summer.  I’ve enjoyed some lazy days of not being somewhere by a certain time.

But then some of the days got too lazy.  We didn’t do enough in the day except eat lunch out, and then I realized the kids weren’t tired enough for bed.

It’s a vicious circle.  Damned if you do too much because it feels like so much work, and damned if you don’t do enough because the kids are too rested.

There were a few times in the summer I cursed to myself about having to get across town as early as 9 a.m. to fill three hours of my son’s day with a camp.

What are we going to do with this? 

But as I have learned in the last few weeks before school starts, camps were actually a saving grace for the summer. 

He loved them.

I was particularly fond of the afternoon camps.  Nothing beats a leisurely morning at home and then a busy afternoon for him with new activities and new friends.  That was fabulous!

Every camp he attended became his favorite until the next one, whereas my favorites were based on the ease of pickup and drop-off.  So far, the winner in my book was the one that had a carpool. I didn’t even have to get out of the car.

Score!

The only person who really didn’t like camp in the family was the baby sister.  After every drop-off, she would ask, “I go, too?”

She was never really happy with the response.   But next year, baby, next year!

And the thing I learned this summer was that I really need to schedule at least one August camp in order to survive the month.

To help me plan, I’ll be turning to the Carolina SummerCamps. I just discovered this website this week, and boy, is it helpful for planning.  They have camps listed for Cary, Durham, and Raleigh, and other major N.C. cities.

It’s already in my bookmarks.

When you get a little extra time to drink a cup of coffee in peace while your child is out of school, and in a camp, you can thank me later. 

Tweet