If you have kids, definitely enroll them on a camp they like, but only if they actually want to. If they're at home, there are many fun activities to do! You can help them make homemade ice cream or brownies. You could also try and learn an instrument with them, or build a project.
When I was growing up in Ohio, I used to participate in something called the Governor's Summer Institute that had various week-long classes that gifted children attended. I took classes at a local university for free with other students my age on journalism, dramatics, mythology, and logical reasoning. I met many good friends and definitely had a blast. I always really wanted to go to summer camp though. Perhaps it was how the experience is always immortalized in movies and television. It is expensive usually, but there are some that are geared towards a child's interest that I hear are great (like art camp, math camp, etc.).
I think that a lot of people would like to think that if they just had the time, they would DIY. But the truth is that many would not, and a lot of people do not enjoy their children as much as the world would like to paint parenthood out to be, so carting their children off to these overnight places is done for the parent much more than it is for the child, although some parents will do it because they feel bad about not having the time, yet they still want their child to feel like they are doing something fun and adventurous, so I understand from both points of view. But obviously, I am on the side of the DIY! You save so much money doing it that way!! I am soooooo happy for you and sooo envious at the same time. That sounds freaking perfect. I want it!!!!!! I will have that one day too Thank you for inspiring me
oh, I totally agree with you! Come fall, my feed will be filled with parents crying with glee that they get to cart their kids off to school. I know people love their kids, but most parenting is completely selfish in my opinion. Dictatory. Yuck.. But yes, for those who can't afford these camps.. good luck getting it to change. DIY is the only way to go at that point and it's far easier and far better for the parent/child relationship than anyone seems to want to admit lol. You don't have to spend money to engage! lol.. kids can have fun doing almost anything (or nothing at all), but adults project and ruin everything lol. Thanks for the happy I took my own advice and decided to live in the now all the way. There is never a true "ready" and waiting for the end of our lives to live amongst beauty and ease is silliness. If we want it bad enough, we make it work. All of us. There is always a way. We didn't make the easiest choice, but we'll do whatever it takes to make it work.. this place is so worth it <3 Always go for it Dreek. One life xo PS: I now have a daily morning coffee date with a mummy deer and her little one. Ahhhhh.. I'm snow white now
LOL. Not that some parents don't enjoy parenthood, but I always love the honest parents. I don't like that parenthood is arduous for them, but I like the honesty, because it encourages open and honest discussion so that people do not feel so alone or pressures or stressed or guilty, because raising children is not easy, especially when you have severe personal issues going on with yourself, and you can barely function, much less manage children. The kids end up paying for it. I was lucky enough to know at a young age that kids were not for me. I am too selfish with my time, and with my money lol. I was lucky enough to be gay too, so no accidental pregnancies were ever going to happen. I think people know that it is far better to go the DIY route, but many will not admit it because they don't want to put the time in, or they don't want to feel bad about how they are already parenting - carting their kids off to these expensive places. When I was younger, my dad used to not turn up to prearranged 'dates' because he said he did not have any money to spend on us. You are right; kids are happy with the simplest things, because their imagination does most of the work for them. Adults ruin it. You are welcome What are the prices like where you are living? Are things reasonably priced? By the time people reach that age where they feel they are entitled to peace and easiness, they are riddled with illness, and unable to enjoy their life. They have a crap load of money in the bank, but no quality of life. Awww, thank you for the encouragement, JosieP I feel like my life is definitely headed there!
Oh yes, honestly is always a good thing (in all instances, imo).. I just see it differently. Although, yes you're completely right.. I tend to look at it from the kids' perspectives instead. We take parenthood on, hopefully with the knowledge that it's not easy. Not at all. Or it can be, depending on how you parent (pretty easy breezy for me and those who believe in our "methods"), but we can't all live the exact same way and so yes, it can be extremely hard.. which you took on.. which your children didn't. And my thoughts go on from there lol.. we CAN all live in a way that doesn't make us kiss the ground when the kids leave us for the school year lol. It's about the kids.. most parents don't make it about the kids. It's not easy being a child when you have no power... Prices here are comparable to where we were before. Very doable. It was getting here that was hard.. such a lead up! So now we can breathe and enjoy before we're decrepit lol. Doesn't matter where you're going; as long as you enjoy the path your on.. today matters more than any other. Obviously we have our testy days/weeks, months, but you know what I mean lol.
Well it certainly can be unfair on the children. hence why there are so many messed up adults walking around. But unfortunately we do not live in a fair world. I am wondering what the prices are like in your country compared to my country, period. Canada has always seemed so progressive to me, but that perception could be wrong lol. I hope you wake up every morning and you are able to appreciate all of the lovely things that you have. I imagine that living where you do now makes that much easier
No, we don't live in a fair world. Tis why I see things through the children's eyes instead and am always the adult I needed as a kid. My life.. OUR lives, changed drastically when it became about them. As their own lives should be lol.Them; the new humans learning to fit in in this world. They're so much happier and again, no need to rebel as teens.. if parents stopped making it about themselves, they'd actually get more benefit out of it lol. They'd get what it is they're trying to force out of parenthood and not succeeding at. From what I've experienced and witnessed anyway. Our dollar is weaker. But then, it depends on the person what they get out of their community. I was told it was too expensive to live here.. and I grew up believing that. But I'm quite comfy here. I'm not excessive, I eat healthfully, we're simple people and so it's not expensive at all for us here. If I needed to party every weekend, eat at restaurants every week, eat the typical diet, put our kids in all the summer camps .. we'd have drown by now lol.
I've only been in two summer classes, one is for learning how to swim and the other is for ballet. I did enjoy the former but despised the latter. Fortunately, that ballet class happened for just one summer. The swimming class only happened as well for one summer. But it did so because I already learned the basics and that's all I really wanted to learn. And for both of these classes, they were my preferences. However, I started out loving ballet but ended up hating it. Haha! Personally, I would love for my son to go to summer classes or camps as well. We're thinking about enrolling him in a Milo Summer Camp or maybe even swimming. This way, he can learn new things aside from being locked at home. And it's a great way to make friends as well... He can be more social and get to interact with others. The other advantage of it would be that he won't be glued to his gadget all day. My aunt's son does nothing all day but play on his iPad, granted she does the same, lol. And I don't want my son to grow up like that. I want him to love sports, music, art... Anything. Just have some interest beyond gaming and the internet. As far as DIY camps, why not? Everyday we draw, dance, sing and go out for walks. So I think it can be easy to create such DIY camps for him when he grows up. Maybe a baking session, a painting session or a clay dough session. I would love that and since I'm a stay at home mom, working part time, I can make the time for it.
I love taking advantage of the summer programs offered by my local public library. They are great programs that include a story, a craft, activities etc. They are geared for younger kids and older kids and best of all they are free. I also put both my boys in swim lessons every summer. I think it is a life skill to be able to swim and over the summer they can get at least one sometimes two levels in the Red Cross swimming levels. Summer is also a time for my kids to work on other skills, so we put them in hockey camps to help develop their athletic skills. We also take advantage of the museums where we live. There is usually one day a week which is free to the public. We also take the kids on nature hikes and explore the various bike trails throughout our city.
