Ok, I guess I haven't totally given up, but I've mostly given up.
I am not trying to make my kids' brains bigger, better, more culturally awesome this summer.
I'm done trying to build the Six Million Dollar Kids.
I am mostly letting them do what they want. In the same way that when I was young, I watched endless episodes of television shows and did a whole bunch of nothing.
I don't remember what those shows were. I remember I watched way too much Remington Steele during summer breaks in college.
By the time August rolled around, I was kinda ready for some routine and structure because my summer wasn't completely full and structured.
June was busy. A week in Colorado, followed by a week at Girl Scout camp, followed by a week of VBS.
That right there is a huge amount of "educational and personal development" material.
Experiencing another state.
Going horseback riding.
Learning about animals that live in RMNP.
Learning about the Continental Divide.
Fishing at camp.
Looking through huge telescopes at the moon since it was a space theme at camp.
Building and launching rockets.
Learning Bible stories.
July has been a "recover from June" month.
When I think about what I did during summers as a kid, I know my mother didn't take me to museums or theatrical performances or make me do worksheets.
If she did, I don't remember it (so obviously it had a tremendous impact).
If she did, she didn't do it every summer with regular frequency.
I left the house to go to a friend's place and returned 8 hours later.
My mother had no clue what I was doing or with whom.
And somehow, I managed to get a master's degree.
Now in the interest of complete truth, my kids are doing something educational.
N is working on a packet from her high school in which she has to read and write and do some math.
And the boys are having to do a page per day in their cursive writing workbooks and read before bed.
But that is it.
In upper-middle-class white world, I am failing miserably.
In the rest of the world, I'm doing a stellar job.
I'll split the difference and assume I'm doing ok.
I am not trying to make my kids' brains bigger, better, more culturally awesome this summer.
I'm done trying to build the Six Million Dollar Kids.
I am mostly letting them do what they want. In the same way that when I was young, I watched endless episodes of television shows and did a whole bunch of nothing.
I don't remember what those shows were. I remember I watched way too much Remington Steele during summer breaks in college.
By the time August rolled around, I was kinda ready for some routine and structure because my summer wasn't completely full and structured.
June was busy. A week in Colorado, followed by a week at Girl Scout camp, followed by a week of VBS.
That right there is a huge amount of "educational and personal development" material.
Experiencing another state.
Going horseback riding.
Learning about animals that live in RMNP.
Learning about the Continental Divide.
Fishing at camp.
Looking through huge telescopes at the moon since it was a space theme at camp.
Building and launching rockets.
Learning Bible stories.
July has been a "recover from June" month.
When I think about what I did during summers as a kid, I know my mother didn't take me to museums or theatrical performances or make me do worksheets.
If she did, I don't remember it (so obviously it had a tremendous impact).
If she did, she didn't do it every summer with regular frequency.
I left the house to go to a friend's place and returned 8 hours later.
My mother had no clue what I was doing or with whom.
And somehow, I managed to get a master's degree.
Now in the interest of complete truth, my kids are doing something educational.
N is working on a packet from her high school in which she has to read and write and do some math.
And the boys are having to do a page per day in their cursive writing workbooks and read before bed.
But that is it.
In upper-middle-class white world, I am failing miserably.
In the rest of the world, I'm doing a stellar job.
I'll split the difference and assume I'm doing ok.
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