Need input from experienced WOHMs.
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| Tue, 04-25-2006 - 10:24am |
For you WOHMs, what did you do in the summer with your teenagers? My son's are not yet teens, but we're getting close. This summer and next are covered, but I'm curious as to what to do when my son current 12 year old is 14. My other son is 9. I will be gone each day from 7:30 to 2:30 and will have a high school senior be at home with the kids this year. This is the first summer that they will be staying home all summer long. I'm hoping she will enjoy this and do it next summer.
However, there will come a time when my oldest will be too "old" for a sitter (but in my opinion too old for just a few hours). And that is about 2 years out. However, I am not comfortable having them in the house with no supervision all day. Did you hire college help? I'm just not sure what I'm going to do when they are, say, 15 and 12, even older? Way to old for sitters. However, I know that's when kids can get in trouble when left alone and I'm not comfortable leaving them each day until 2:30. Hopefully, the oldest will have a summer job, but the younger one won't, even when he's 14. And I won't leave him home all day alone?
This is getting tougher and tougher as I'm looking at 2-6 years out and I don't know how to plan for this.
What do all you WOHM mom's do?
Thanks...conmama

I can only tell you what my experiences were. My parents owned their own business and when we got to that age - we went to work. Each one of us started work at 12. We worked 1/2 or 3/4 of the day and were allowed to be at home for a few hours by ourself. We had neighbors on both sides that didn't work so we were told to check in with one of them every hour. One of the ladies didn't have kids but loved us so she found odd jobs for us to do. I would help her can vegetables, work in the yard, etc. She did alot of volunteer work and often took me with her.
My oldest DD was mature enough to be home some alone but often her best friend would come and stay with her. They were both really good kids so I didn't worry about them. It wasn't unusual for her friend to move in with us for a week and for DD to move in with them for a week. DD also went to church camp a couple of times a summer. Grandparents would take her on trips, etc. When she reached 15, she began to volunteer at the camp as an RC (residential counselor) which meant she actually stayed in the cabin with the younger kids as their "adult". She was usually paired with a college age student. Then when she was 16 she became a paid RC.
Youngest DD wasn't as mature as her sister. One summer she interned at a local vet office. She worked mornings so she was only home a few hours alone in the afternoon. After that, I quit full-time work b/c she wasn't comfortable alone even for a few hours after school and the grandparents were getting older and not able to help. But even with that, she still attended church and sports camps. During those weeks, my old boss let me come and work to fill in for people on vacation. I now work part-time and she's almost 18. The past two summers she has worked part-time.
Camps and trips with friends, grandparents are good. Odd jobs for neighbors give them some supervision. Giving them chores to do at home keeps them out of trouble for a while. Volunteer work also gives them supervision. Some kids at 14 or 15 babysit younger kids during the summer. The younger ones will definitely rat them out if they have company or do something stupid.
Hey conmama!
(1) Camps are good. You can still send a 14 or 15 year old to a camp.
(2) Reach ahead summer school courses and other short term courses
(3) The 15-year-old could have a small job,babysitting little brother.
Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. I guess I'm going to try to look for some sort of counseling "job" perhaps for the older one when he's in his midteens. This is such a toughie for me.
Hi Pam! It's so hard to believe you have one in college already, I still "remember" when they were 11 and 8. This is the first year that mine will be home all summer and we all can't wait. They've been going to summer camp all their lives, although the past 2 summers weren't too bad as I took off a couple weeks and I alternated camp with babysitters throughout the summer. The oldest didn't mind camp, the youngest is thrilled not to go again.
I work 8:00 to 2:30 each day now, which during the school year is during their school hours. I take them and pick them up after school. It is wonderful, really. Quitting work is not an option anymore, as we just purchased a small lake cottage last summer and we need my salary to afford it. I have mixed emotions about that. My dh has wanted one for years and I finally relented. I do have to say I enjoy it, but I hate not having the option of quitting work if I wanted to. I don't want to quit, but it was nice to have the "choice". On the other hand, the kids are loving the lake and it is a way of keeping them "close" to us hopefully thru their teenage years. I imagine we will be bringing alot of friends for awhile.
But then those summers start looming in a few years....
Take care. The boys are hot and heavy into baseball right now. The 12 year old is going to Cooperstown NY this summer to play in their tournaments. He's very excited about that.
conmama
Hi Conmama! I'm in a similar situation with my almost 14yo DD. A little while back I posted under "help fill the summer hours" and got some great suggestions. Rather than repeat them here, feel free to email me and I'll happily offer all the ideas we've got in the works to fill those long days. The moms and dads here had great suggestions and we're slowly getting everything scheduled.
I don't have the option of not working, but I am lucky enough to work in the town I live in and can be there in a moment's notice. I also have a wonderful boss who does everything he can to help me--including letting DD come to the office after school because she got in trouble at home by herself.
Let's brainstorm :-)
Dani
Both of my girls always acted as CIT's in the summer. They have worked at zoo camp, dance camp and a religious camp. My younger daughter always did/does before camp care, as I need to be at work at 8am.
This summer, my 16 year old will be at camp herself for 4 weeks. It's a program for 16, 17 and 18 year olds. The other weeks, she will volunteer at least 3 days a week in the preschool. While she is old enough to be home alone, I do not want her sleeping until 1 or 2pm which is what she'll do if home alone.
Audrey :)
http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com
Audrey :)
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