Hiya.
I work, hubby works. During the summer my MIL takes the ALL of her grandkids part of the time. Which definitely has it's ups and downs (more downs to ME) I have sent my two oldest to summer school for the past 3 years. It's the "fun" summer school. They only have it 4 days a week for 4 weeks and get to pick their classes (Art, Sports, Fun reading and math games classes etc) and get OUT of the house. They still have lots of time to chill and do fun stuff. After summer school they go to Grandama's house for a lil over a month. I'm also sending them to some camps. I try not to let them go to Grandma's more than a couple times a week. Grandma SAYS she loves to have them and ASKS for them to come over, but by the end of summer she's crabby. My kids like to go, cause they can go swimming and see their cousins that they don't get to see a lot of during the school year. Otherwise I wouldn't bother.
Sooooo my oldest is driving me crazy!!!! She HATES summer school. I have told her over and over WHY I am sending her. She wants to stay home, which on OCCASION I let her do, but I don't want her sitting in the house all day (though she does chores and such) She doesn't want to go anymore, and really is driving me bonkers. I have let my kids go a couple of time over to Grandma's, and she will miss the entire last week of summer school to go to a camp.
I can't seem to reach a balance or compromise with my oldest on what to do over the summer. She's not happy with me right now and I'm not happy with her. She forgets just HOW cranky her Grandma will be by the end of summer if we over do it (not just us, but the other cousins who are there WAY more than my kids) So I'm trying to find a happy medium. She's not happy w the ideas I've presented to her w camps. AGAIN repeating that the less time spent at Grandmas the better! She's shy and quiet...so maybe that is contributing to her not wanting to go! Though I think once she GOES to these camps she'll love them (They are sports related which she loves and her friend is going so that will help)
UGHHHHHHHHH I don't even know what my question is! What do you do to keep your "older" 12+ kids happy and busy during the summer? WHY can't we have year round school? Which allows for more breaks and a shorter summer break!!???
Have you thought of letting her do some candy striping at the local hospital or helper at the animal shelters. She is at that age. Good Idea for her to get into something she can help out with. A few days a week
LOL!
When I read your title, I thought you were saying you HAVE 12 kids!
Ha! Sorry, my kids aren't this old yet, so I haven't had to deal with it yet.
Once our daughter was in middle school she was a teachers aid at the summer camps she used to attend as a younger child.. She enjoyed it. This lasted about 5 weeks.
She also took a First Aid Baby sitting course and started baby sitting.. not infants.. but young kids. At the summer camps she made lots of contacts because the parents got to know her and trust her.
We live close to the library, so she spent lots of time there, swimming every day at one of the local pools.
I would give her a budget and let her plan, shop and prepare meals.
Taught her how to do the laundry.
Had her work on science projects.. Then we placed the info in envelopes so she could pull one out for the annual science fair.
Her grandmother taught her how to knit. She tried her had a sewing.. not so great.
Puzzles and then just some good "flop out time", to just be alone.
When I was 12, I started my own daycare for my sister and 2 boy cousins. I made up a menu for each day and a plan of activities for each day.. I made good money and saved my mom and my Aunt a fortune (to me it seemed like a fortune). Continued this for 3 summers.. then started caring for an infant.. The mom was a Professor at the college and just needed me a few hours a day . Once I turned 16, I got my first real job in retail..
I was always made to work.. I never did just get to hang out.. I have made sure to have a balance with our child.. Summer is here for a reason. Let them have time to just be,, To read, to swim, to visit friends, to go to the movies, go to outdoor concerts. In only a few years she will be in college and that is it.. They are gone most of the time. Working studying,, and then onto work..
Haha, When I read your title, I thought, "Wow, I only have 6 kids!"
I may be going against the grain, but why is it SO important to keep kids SO involved during the summer?? Summer is supposed to be a pretty lazy time. Your daughter is getting to an age where you need to start agreeing with her sometimes. If she makes the mistake and wishes she'd gone to summer school, then it's her mistake to learn from. If she enjoys going to grandmas then let her, screw what happens three months from now with crabby grandma. Unless you're worried she's going to run off on a Wednesday afternoon and get a tattoo, I'd let her be lazy and enjoy some time on the couch and rushing to get chores done before you get home. Give her some independence and responsibility.
I never went to a camp and had to bike 2 miles to town if I wanted to take a summer school class. Honestly, those are the times of my fondest memories with my older brother. We laugh about our summers watching Days of Our Lives. We learned to entertain ourselves. We learned to cook so our parents didn't have to make dinner. No wonder we're both so independent.
My son goes to taekwondo day camp.
He gets exercise and helps teach some classes.
Vegging out on the couch all summer is not an option.
I work from home, so if he's sick or not feeling well he can stay home, but the rest of the time I'm busy with conference calls all day and he needs to be out doing something.
The taekwondo Master wants to make him a junior instructor when he turns 15 (he's 13 now) and I think it will be very good for him.
I do not have a 12 yr old, but I can tell you what my SIL does with her 4girls that are 11 -16. For the summer they are all required to spend two weeks at an overnight summer camp, be involved in an activity such as sports/dance/cheer (most of them cheer) and if you are old enough to work you must work a min of 15hrs/wk.
Another neice of mine has to work at the local park district ad a youth conselor for their summer camp programs and has been doing this since she was 13 I think.
I agree that school should be year round with a few longer vacations vs. 3months off during summer.
Our YMCA lets 12 year olds volunteer in the summer.
Last year I worked VBS at my local church. 12 yr old girls were great helpers for the teachers (keeping an eye on the kids, gathering supplies, washing hands, helping with crafts, moving kids to transition activities....) Sure VBS is just 3 days of the summer in most places. Maybe 5 days. But if there are a lot of churches in your area, she could be here this week, there another week, and at a third location a third week. Check sooon! Lots of places are signing up kids already here.
Summer job? Got a local small landscaper in your area? Got a local church you attend, make her babysit? My brother worked a Memorial Park pulling weeds and trimming the memorial stones. Have her volunteer at an animal shelter. Walk dogs and love on kitties.
Well... I am not there yet with my daughter, but I know that a lot of them go that to regular camp, because next year they get to be CIT's, and then after that Counselors (aka piad :) )! A lot of camps won't take kids as CIT's unless they have previously attended the camp for at least one season. So you and she might want to look into that?
Good luck!
A 12 year old is legally old enough to babysit a child. The Red Cross teaches a 12 year old babysitting class to help them learn how to be a good babysitter.
SINCE they can watch someone else I think they are plenty old enough to watch themselves. It sounds like she is working on time alone at home and that is good. I think making a compromise with her that is she goes to her half day she can do what she wants the other half of the day. If she wants to stay at home alone for those few hours then let her do it XX amount of days per week. Then she'll have an incentive to go to the school program.
Otherwise she is just going to make everyone miserable all summer. If she wants to go to grandma's every day let her go over when the other kids are not there and have some time with grandma then when the other kids come she can play a bit with them too.
Sounds like grandma needs to limit the kids coming over to 2 or 3 days per week. It is a lot for us older folks to have a housefull day after day after day. Plus all the expense of the food and extra laundry from the pool/towels and stuff. She sounds wonderful, you are lucky to have her.
Perhaps your daughter can find out if any child care centers in the area are letting teen volunteers come in and assist their teachers. We did that in my center for a couple of days per week. They would do special crafts and activities with the kids and they were not staff so it was much easier on them. She may still have to do background checks and stuff to be around the kids but she might find the "teaching" part of it fun.
I work and my husband is home. My 13 yr olds will be home. If my son could, he would be on the computer all day long, maybe on the Wii as well. My girls would lay around the house and maybe go to their friend's house. This year, theyhave to clean and clean. They mess it up, they can clean it up. :) But they can have their fun too. If they were interested, they would be able to volunteer with the park district. One of them is looking forward to turning 14 so she can help at the animal shelter a couple times a week. She even says she will bike or skateboard there, which is almost 2 miles. Maybe there is something similar near you. Hate to force things on teh kids but sometimes, you do what it takes.
And my mom would be grumpy after a week let alone the summer.
I have a 12 yo dtr and a 9 yo son. My son goes to the boys/girls club because he's ADHD and is just WAY too active and can't just stay home all day. He's there pretty much from open til close and I swear, if he could stay til 9pm, he would, he loves it. His sister is more quiet and needed a break from him, lol! She stays home with me, but I work from home. She spends her time on the computer, playing her guitar, reading, writing stories, watching tv, swimming or just doing errands and running around with me. If I worked outside the home, I would be ok leaving her home by herself. She is self sufficient and is happy being quite and home. My son? Not so much. So if your daughter is able to stay home by herself, I would just let her. Give her some chores to do and check in with her and make sure she's ok. Just my opinion. Good luck!!!
