It's the Middle of Summer - Thinking Ahead to School and Making Use of Summer Camps

Well summer is half - over for us in the state of Arkansas. School starts up again the 2nd week of August. Though I am finally getting the hang of having two older boys that are growing out of play and pretend, I am excited to get back to the routine of the school year. We are a very naturally routine-oriented family, so while we make some fun memories during the summer, and try to enjoy it as much as possible, there is nothing as enjoyable as a nice routine that lasts for most of the year. I was thinking this morning that I am glad I did not grow up in one of those European countries that routinely takes long holidays each summer. Then again, I don't really know what it feels like to have neurotypical preferences, but after several decades of life and having two of my own children, we've finally figured out why summer and holidays aren't the fun for us that they are for most everyone else. While I had been trying to keep this topic off the blog, it turns out that I have almost nothing to say leaving it out because being Orthodox Christians, along with dealing with the quirks in our family, is a major part of our life!

Creative Father's Day card by homeschoolers!

In any case, now that my kids are older and don't enjoy the same sort of highly-structured at-home routines that they did when they were younger, yet still need a fairly structured routine, I have discovered that half-day summer camps have been just the thing that our family needed. For a long time, I was not interested in summer camps because they sort of defeated the purpose of homeschooling. Giving my children over to teachers we don't know, to interact with kids we hardly know, for any length of time, was not something I was interested in at all when they were younger. Well, I have found, that the young child phase doesn't last forever!

When children are younger than seven, they are so impressionable and can easily pick up bad behaviors from a situation like a summer camp. However, it is the opposite now that my kids are older. I have signed them up for many of the camps together and they are telling me about any of the bad behaviors they see and are rejecting them! My kids know that we are in a difficult time in history, but they really love people. They want me to trust them so they can spend more time with people (that are not very bad influences of course.). Now that my kids are older, they are not really picking up any bad influences, or asking to do things that aren't part of our established Orthodox Christian family culture. The camps are giving them the structure and socialization that they need for the summer, making them so much more happy and pleasant to be around!

But, this brings up a whole other point about our society. WHY do I need to sign my kids up for activity camps, or other time intensive activities, for them to have socialization? Why? I have noticed its not just me, its my Protestant and Catholic acquaintances doing it as well (for the most part.). While there are always exceptions for some people, I have noticed a big disintegration of community. Life is so much different from when I was a kid. Being an Orthodox Christian does make life harder as far as community goes., but when I was a kid people valued time together because people could not get their social needs met by dopamine hits on social media, apps or other things. Many mothers are frazzled from spending several hours on social media a day and feel "too busy" for things like playdates, while other mothers are suffering from a down economy and are trying to manage work, motherhood, and massive inflation.

Between 2020, 2021, and various technological advances that are re-wiring most children and parents, parenting is no joke these days! Since people are less reliable and less social these days, even if its for a valid reason, parents are relying on activities and camps to fill the need for reliable community. Sadly, I am even noticing that many people are not finding reliable community at church. People are constantly church hopping for this reason. Orthodox Christians don't do that... but we do supplement our lives with things that can bring more reliable community. None of this is normal or good, but it seems to be all we have for now. I know that there are very large families that live like small villages, having accepted we are in difficult times, and just do their own thing. I might do that, too, if God blessed me with a large family. He didn't, though, so each week I try to hold back the tears, shake off the memories of a better world before technology, and push forward my kids through various activities, trying to fill the void that has been left due to technology, broken families, and cultural divides.

"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." - Luke 21:28