Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Summer arrangements

If you have children that are school age what kind of arrangements do you have for them while you are working during the summer?  A closely related question is when do you decide they are old enough to stay home alone in the summer?

9 comments:

mamajessica said...

This is a very good question! Our oldest is 14 and just started staying home all day by himself maybe once per week last summer. For the past 2 years we were fortunate enough to be able to send him to spend a week at a time with his grandparents [live an hour away] about 3 times throughout the summer and also utilized my mom for the other days who is fortunate to have summers off. Prior to that we sent both our boys to the local YMCA summer programs.
Our youngest is 10 and he spends his days at the local YMCA summer program. We pay about $125/wk and he gets to go on field trips and use the swimming and gym privileges the Y has on site. It's well worth it for all that he gets to do, but he is starting to feel too old to go since there are less kids his age that attend. So we allow him to spend a week away with his grandparents and also utilize my mom when he just isn't feeling happy about the Y.

Jennifer said...

I am so glad that you included this question, b/c this is something I have often wondered about once my kids are old enough to go to school.

Right now, my kids are 2 1/2 and 10 months, so they go to a home care provider. This will be my first summer that I am able to stay home with them the majority of the time, as I will be working part time in the summer.


I am interested in hearing the other Christian working mom's responses. I love this website and it provides so much encouragement! Thank you Kimberly, you and your site are truly gifts from God!

Coach Kimberly said...

Thanks MamaJessica and Jennifer. Over the years my summer arrangements have changed. Once my children were in elementary school they really didn't want to go to a day camp. So, we hired a teenager or college student to stay with them and take them to the pool, etc. Also, they enjoyed being able to get up later and stay in their PJ's. As they got older they would participate in church camps, mission trips, and other things. Eventually, they began staying home alone with strict rules and me calling them "all" the time (according to my children). Each family is different and our arrangements grew and changed as my children grew.

momma naenae said...

MY child is 4 and I am fortunate that the local school system has a summer program that he attends. I have not crossed the fact of leaving him byhimself. By reading the other comments,I assume 14 would be good. (I will cross this when I get there).-
Momma Nae

Jen said...

I am blessed that my mom watches my daughters during the school year. My husband is a teacher, so he takes over for most of the summer. When his coaching duties interfere with my work schedule, my mom will pitch in. I am very grateful that we have this arrangement and hope it continues for many years!

Anonymous said...

My daughter is 9, and the christian school that she goes to has a summer day camp, including early and after care all included in the price. The only problem I usually have is finding someone to watch her at the beginning of the summer and then for another week at the end of the summer. She also has 2 weeks at Christmas and a week at Easter - she's got more vacation time than me! :)
We have no family in the area in which we live, so I have to depend on favors from ladies at church, which is not always easy since the majority of them homeschool, so I always pray and ask the Lord to provide someone that can watch her.

Coach Kimberly said...

We didn't have family that lived close either. So, we often had to play parent tag or figure out other arrangements as well. It can be hard some times.

Merin said...

This is the first year my boys aren't in year-round preschool, so we enrolled them in the local YMCA day camp. It was a great decision becasue the boys come home happy, excited, and exhausted. The local Y does a great job of keeping the children busy, involved in sports, reading, and enjoying alll the local kid-centric entertainment for a very good price. I'm glad I did this, and so are my boys.

Wrapped in His arms said...

Currently my children are too young to stay home alone and I work in a childcare setting where I can bring them. I don't know what I'll do in the future when they become too old for childcare. My dream (God-willing) is to work in a school that would allow me to be home with them during the summers. :)