The Exhausted Dad: Anything, nothing and everything in between
Summers are obviously challenging for any family, especially with two working parents and kids who can’t quite stay home by themselves.
On one hand, my wife and I are just trying to cover all the times the kids need to be supervised. However, we also want them to be engaged in a variety of activities. We don’t want them parked in front of devices for hours on end each day.
Thankfully, if parents even have the time to provide transportation, there are so many fantastic experiences for kids to engage with throughout the summer, from sports camps, sleepaway camps, library-based group activities, cheap movies and much more.
One of the things I love most about my kids is their willingness to try new things. I hate doing new things, and I’m not the most social person in the world, but my kids aren’t intimidated by the risk of being uncomfortable.
As I write this column, my three youngest kids are engaged with an art project led by a local library. The activity skewed young, with my 7-year-old son being in the primary demographic. Still, his 9-year-old sister and 11-year-old brother wanted to go and participate with him. Because those two say “YES!” to everything.
Generally, elementary-age kids like to do anything. When I go to the pharmacy, at least two kids beg me to go on the two-minute drive there. Kids love boring, tedious adult things! They want to go grocery shopping. They want to go to the hardware store. They’ll even sit around at the dentist’s office even if it isn’t for their own appointment!
Despite being game for everything, my kids will also slip into their “nothing” mode without hesitation. They can sit in front of “Minecraft” for hours. We literally set alarms in the house to remind them to look away from the screen from time to time.
They’ll read, too. Or build a marble run. Or spend half a day on a Lego structure. Only very rarely do they complain about being “bored” or say they can’t think of something to do. They love the “nothing” downtime, so long as Mom or Dad doesn’t make them do too many chores.
Even some chores provide hours of entertainment on “nothing” days. My 9-year-old daughter handles her own laundry, though she spends more time sorting and making piles than washing clothes. Like everyone, she hates folding, but she solves that problem by dumping her basket of clean clothes on top of her bed. That way, she can’t go to bed until she folds and puts away her clothes. Actually, this might be a strategy for her to stay up late every night. Yes, she washes clothes basically every day at this point.
When we talk about vacations, the kids care most about the place we’re staying. Not the destination — the rental house or the hotel room. They need to know the place where they do “nothing” on vacation. The "everything else" can basically be anything.
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Tyler Wilson is a freelance writer, full-time student and parent to four kids, ages 7-13. He is tired.
The Exhausted Dad