Catch 22

Each summer, like most families with school age children, we're faced with the challenge of how to care for the kids. Last summer, our youngest stayed in his preschool while the oldest went to YMCA day camp. Since we're too cheap to sign up for the cool camps (like ice skating, swimming or reptiles), my daughter spent her days on a dirt lot with some shade, doing crafts and learning about values from teenage girls who shared stories about their boyfriends and their views on God. As you can tell, this was less than ideal in my point of view.

This summer, I pushed to have our kids at the local Montessori school during the summer. That way there is still some down time for crafts and such, but at least it would be in framework and structure that I respect. Trained teachers and appropriate values. Of course, that costs more. So, when I tell my husband (I work full-time and he is part-time) that I want my kids to be home when he's not working, it became clear that he feels pressure to work more to pay for this summer school option.

So, from 8:30 - 3:30 everyday my kids are spending their summer in school. And during that time, my husband is working to pay for it. The worst irony of all, is that we barely break even financially on the deal. But it keeps his career intact, which is important. You can't tell your employer that you're taking the next three months off and expect not to be replaced, unless of course you're having a baby and protected by law.

Well, at least they spend their time in a classroom, not on dirt, learning from mature teachers, not teenagers. Right?