This is the big question from all the moms this time of year. Every time I talk to someone, they ask, “What summer camps are you doing this year?” That’s camps, as in plural. You know what summer camp I got as a kid? A few weeks at grandma’s house, and it was up to me to plan my daily activities. But so far my son is scheduled for seven different day camps. SEVEN. And this may be our best summer yet.

Mom, I’m Bored

I recall our first summer after pre-school. Long summer days filled with constant whining about being bored. I figured I could try out this camp thing, and enrolled him at a short camp from 9AM – 1PM, for a couple weeks. He wasn’t thrilled, but I sure was. And then the summer after Kindergarten I had learned my lesson about “winging it,” and I signed him up for a week of camp, then two weeks off, then a week of camp again. Even better! Much less whining time. So with the summer fast approaching after 1st grade, I went all in and scheduled the heck out of our summer.

My son will be going to Surf Camp, Skate Camp, Tennis Camp, and then various weeks at themed camps where they do different activities and arts and crafts. So that plus two vacation trips and our summer is packed with activity! And you know what? I can already hear him whining about being bored in the few hours between camp and bedtime. But at least I’ve scheduled many hours of activities to keep the kid entertained for at least part of the day. He’ll be learning sports, swimming, playing in bounce houses, making things in art class and getting to see lots of his friends every day.

So what about you? Did you do summer camp as a kid? Have you jumped on the camp bandwagon yet?