When Moms Need Another Mom (& maybe an aunt too!)

Like many working moms, I’m finding what to do with the kid over the summer is quite the trick. Kids aren’t in school, and often child care folks, especially home care providers, take some well deserved time off.

The past few summers I didn’t have a teaching assignment or I was teaching at night so my son stayed home with his dad. But this summer, the college gave me a daytime assignment: M-Th 10-noon teaching a critical thinking and literature writing course (MACBETH anyone??)

And since my regular childcare provider Ms Mary, a wonderful, brilliant, creative and amazing retired elementary school librarian, is taking 5 weeks off out of the 6 weeks I’m teaching, I’ve been struggling to figure out what in the world to do with my son.

Through his school, there’s cheap child care from 630am-630pm  for $120 a week. They go to the pool one day a week most weeks and to the beach another day. The rest of the time they play in similar aged and same gender groups. Lots of research shows that while this might be easy for the caregiver, it’s not the best developmentally for children.

But what else is there to do? I found a cool science camp Destination Science–for a cool $250 a week from 9-3:30pm where he’ll make rockets and robots and do experiments which he’ll love. They have a few programs in different places so check them out on the web or give them a call if you want to register your own child:1.888.909.2822. There’s even a discount if I get him registered this week. And there’s AYSO camp, but it’s only for one of the weeks I need, it’s only 9-noon, and it’s also segregated.

Just now came an email which is almost like a dream come true: Kids Arts is offering “The Joy of Music” and “The Heart of Art” Summer camps with a different program every 2 weeks for 6 weeks of the summer!

And the program is taught by two of my favorite teachers in town–Lynne Okun of Kids Arts and Erin Cross who does music classes in the schools. Both of these women are absolutely fabulous artists, musicians, and teachers–but also incredible human beings, smart, sharp, funny, and good natured without being pushovers. Plus they have years and years of experience working with children.

Since the program is 9-noon, all I have to do now is cobble together something for the afternoons!

Happy Mother’s Day everyone!