Way back when when my daughter was in Pre-School, the director reminded us to start saving for Summer Camp. At the time, I gave it no mind. All I was thinking is that we are headed to Public School and I would be saving myself a ton of money. Wrong, Wrong!!
What do New Yorkers do in the summer when the kids are out of school? During the first few years, my daughter went to day camp out in Staten Island where she was able to be outdoors everyday and all day. The benefit of that camp was that the kids went to the pool twice a day and they did outdoor activities. Perfect for city kids.
My daughter was thrilled beyond belief because she loves to swim and she was able to be in the water every day rather than her 1x a week swim class.
How much was the camp you ask? A whopping $4,000 on top of fees so my daughter could stay at the drop off facility until 6 when I could pick her up from work. Pick your jaws off the floor people outside New York.
I know what you are thinking, yikes on the cost. If you think that is expensive, my daughter actually went to a middle of the road day camp. There are many day camps that cost more and I mean more!! And if you want a specialty cams like computers, dance or art, classes can run from $500 a week and more. I haven’t enrolled my daughter in a coding class because I can’t find one for less than $600.
One year, I luckily (in the end I wasn’t lucky), we won the lottery to attend the New York camps run by the parks department. The cost was substantially lower but I have to say that that it’s one of those you get what you pay for. The counselors were entirely too young to manage the kids and in my opinion did not get the proper training or went unsupervised. According to my daughter some of the kids were not well-behaved either which probably made the counselor’s job tougher. My daughter was miserable but never said anything until the end. This was the year I wasn’t working so I think she knew that the other camp was not in the budget. The next summer we went back to the middle of the road day camp.
Then at some point around 5th grade, families start sending their kids to sleepaway camp. I don’t know about you but I grew up in the suburbs and no one went to sleepaway camp. I asked a ton of parents who are not from the Northeast and they said the same thing. You can imagine that sleepaway camp is not a cheap deal either. There are many families that send their kids to sleepaway camp for the entire summer. My daughter wanted to go in 6th grade when her elementary friends were going but I couldn’t justify the cost. Yikes!!
Now that my daughter is in middle school, she wants to go to sleepaway camp with her middle school friends or my favorite answer from her is that “we can just hang out at the playground.”
“Hell No!” (okay, I was thinking it and didn’t say it out loud) Can you imagine? I am sure I would be arrested for letting my daughter wander the streets of New York City for 8 hours. “Idle Hands Are The Devils Playground” as they say.
“No way, you are hanging out at the playground all day. I am sure your friends parents are not allowing it.” I responded.
“Yes, they are.” miss defiant smarty pants told me.
“We shall see, I am going to text them.” And I did.
I loved the responses from the parents. One family is sending their two kids to Michigan for the summer to stay with their grandmother because shocking news, the camps are much cheaper than in New York City. One mom told me, my daughter will be getting a summer job and darn it, she is working for the summer. Apparently if you are 14 years old, you can work in New York. Who knew!!
My daughter of course was disappointed she can’t just wander around with her friends. One of my friends asked me why I just didn’t sign her up for a sleepaway camp and be done with it. Well, I could have done that but do I really want send my daughter to a camp where she doesn’t know anyone. First, there is no coming back from that expensive mistake and I had visions of dragging my daughter to the bus. Also as an adult how many of us want to be stuck in a place for a week or more to make friends with no escape? I would be none!
So what will my daughter being doing this summer? She actually has two trips planned, notice the operative word, she!!
She will be headed to the Virginia suburbs, the home of my youth to stay with my sister and her family. This is the perfect age for her to hang with her cousin. What are they doing? I have no idea other than going to a friend’s pool on a daily basis. What a life? My daughter’s comment is can she cook better than you? I told her yes and her response, “at least, I will eat well.”
During the month of August, my daughter along with a friend’s twin daughters are headed to Canada and the Rockies. They will be staying and traveling with my friend’s sister and husband going on an adventure of a lifetime. People I haven’t been to the Rockies!!.
I am really excited for her and I think she is excited as well. We all have to be creative with teens and their summer plans. Now I just have to worry about next summer.
What are your kids doing for the summer?
