Episode 69: End-of-the-School-Year Cheers and Fears

Are you ready for the summer? We're not so much ready for the summer as ready for the school year to END. In an early-morning podcast recording that had us saying "energy up!" on a regular basis, we talked about end-of-the-school-year field trips, end-of-the-school-year burnout, and end-of-the-school year exams upon exams that have Nicole ready for her daughter to graduate the University of Middle School. While we're light on actual constructive advice, do listen in to find out how to make it look like you didn't really sign all those lines of the reading log in one sitting.

Of course, once you have that glorious TGIthe-end-of-school moment, you have to figure out what to do with your kid during those structure-free months. We talked about camps both exciting (tall ships!) and not (typing camp!), the hopeful pursuit of a modest minimum-wage McJob, educational and sports programs for serious summertime progress, and the dreadful prospect of no structure when kids and parents must have it to function.

Finally, we shared our recommendations for the week: Catherine wants to keep you moving with her articles "How to Stop a Fitness Backslide" and "Have an Active Summer"; Amanda thinks you should look at that IEP (eek!) over the summer with her article "Reinforcing IEP Goals Over the Summer"; Nicole suggests checking www.summercamps.com for lots of fun summer camp options; and Terri commisserates with your end-of-year woes with "10 Things to Hate About the End of the School Year" and your routine-and-structure needs with "Camp Mom" and "DIY ESY."

Thanks as always to Jon Morin for producing our episode and Kristin Eredics for our happy in-and-out music. (If you're reading this description somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)