Summer plans

I am thinking about the summer.

Whatever happened to, “Summer time… and the livings easy…”?

Summer is always a mixed bag for me.  I like the lighter schedule. I like to be spontaneous!

I also hate the lighter schedule.  The lack of structure is hard for the boys.  They become video zombies.  If I’m not careful they can end up playing video / computer games for hours on end, and melting down later.

I’m caught in this tug of war between my rebellion against structure and schedules and my kids’ need for it.

Summer and me:   a love / hate relationship.

There are differences this year, though.  My oldest has a job, so he’ll be out of the house more.  Whew!

Pardon me, but I really need to vent. When my oldest has unstructured time he is very annoying.  Seriously.  It is “entertain me all the time,” and has been since he moved in when he was 9 years old.  (Once he asked a babysitter: “What are you going to do to entertain me now?”)  It is really hard for him to be on his own and do things independently.  One of my nicknames for him is “hover-round,” like the mobility device.  He hovers until he gets my attention. For example, I used to take a step backward and run into him, he was that close behind me! He’s gotten better, but he still stands around and stares at me until he gets my attention, no matter what else I may be doing. And if I don’t drop everything and make him the priority, he will do things like use his dad’s power tools without permission, cut his sister’s hair, start fights, or renovate his bedroom.  (That’s another post.)  I’m hoping that this job has a positive impact on his ability to be independent and work with others! So at least that’s hopefully going to be better this summer.  Okay, end of vent.

My younger son is much more verbal now and willing to try new things. His increased communication makes our days easier. For example, I am the video game tyrant, and he seems to understand this.  He has to play a game with me, do a chore, practice his piano, etc. before he can have anything electronic.

My youngest is much more independent now, and likes to do more “grown up” things with me now– crafty stuff, gardening, etc.  So I think we’ll be good there.

Could this be the summer of fun?

I remind myself that it won’t be all unstructured time. My younger son is going to extended school year (ESY) this summer, which will meet three mornings per week for 4 weeks.  I wondered whether or not to send him, but then remembered that he had a really good time at ESY last year.  The teacher ran it like a camp, and her staff even made a dvd of their adventures together.  He really liked it.  I also enrolled him in a reading camp, which I’ve heard is fun for the kids, to help strengthen his skill as he enters middle school. He loves stories and reading.

But there will be a lot of unstructured time.  I’m dreading it. So, readers, how do you handle summer down time?  I’d love to hear about it!  (In other words, “HELP!”)