Should I do camp mommy or will I have a nervous breakdown?

amother

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 11:39 am

I would love to do mommy camp with my kids 8,6, and 18 months. My only concern is that I won't have time for myself and then I'll go crazy, as I'm an introvert and I need lots of personal time. Also I work so hard throughout the year and the summer is my vacation. So on the one hand, my kids hate school and they would probably would love mommy camp, and on the other hand I also need my space. Is here a way to do mommy camp, give the kids a great summer, while also having time for myself?

amother

DarkYellow

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 11:45 am

Summer is long!
Do 2-3 wks of mommy camp, and put them in day camps for the other wks!
Kids really enjoy the swimming , trips and being with friends which mommy camp can’t offer.
And I don’t know you- but I know that I wouldn’t enjoy being with my kids all summer ! Also, hard to find things to do every single day for all your ages!

amother

Azure

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 11:50 am

I did camp mommy and loved it ! The kids are super relaxed not being in a structured environment... We all gained tremendously from it. Be prepared to spend a lot on activties , take -out , extra cleaning help ... If you have someone that could watch your kids for 1 hour a day or a girl to come do bedtime so u get time for yourself that would be so helpful. Also I'm a morning person so my kids would sleep in and I wake up early and I have time for breakfast , davening, chats...
Also do things with them that you enjoy like swimming , hiking , bowling ...

amother

Watermelon

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 11:52 am

How well do your kids play? Can your older ones play nicely together?

One of my kids hates day camp, another loves being with her friends. Finances are tight, so we often give them a choice or do part at home and part day camp. But I've had them for big chunks of the summer and I'm very much an introvert. If I did camp mommy as presented here, I would have gone crazy. I find big trips, big activities exhausting and can only manage that on occasion. What we did? had a relaxed, lazy summer. I usually took them out in the mornings (nearby park or small grocery trip or shul or library or just a walk) and the afternoons were free play (your 18 month old can nap then). Crafts, lego, perler beads, painting, board games, reading, playing together. If you have an enclosed yard, even better.

I found if I got them out in the morning, the afternoons were chilled.

My husband took the kids on a big trip every sunday, and occasionally I joined.

If your two older ones are the type to fight all day long, that would be too exhausting.

amother

Azure

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 11:55 am

Be prepared to get tons of hate . People think they know whats best for me and kids and tell me I'm crazy but all their cousins and friends are so jealous!!! They envy my kids summers. We do a ton of trip and eating out ... Its a dream summer. Hate comes from all over - neighbors, sisters, mother, mother in law.. But you should know there are so many mothers that do this and are thrilled. Were just all spread out

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 11:59 am

amother OP wrote:

I wouldn't do it, unless you take other kids so the older one's have company. Otherwise, all summer long is just way too long. Most kids that hate school, love camp.

mha3484

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 12:00 pm

If your kids are easy going and go with the flow types, at that age they can self entertain a lot and you can get a decent amount of time to yourself. My boys are 7 and 9 and can definitely self entertain for a few hours. If your kid is like my oldest who needs constant activities or goes insane, you will have a very hard time.

amother

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 12:39 pm

Thanks for all your responses! My older kids do play together...
I would use the money I would have paid for daycamp (which is at least 1200 per kid per summer) toward trips and the like.
It's my dream to do it- I just hope I won't regret it once I'm doing it and can't back out anymore.

amother

Tangerine

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 12:50 pm

I wouldn't do it with an 18 month old. That age requires a lot more hands on care and more rigid structure and can really make things go off the rails if those needs are not met (which will be hard to do while schlepping around to places that will be appropriate for the older kids). Send to camp this year, do camp mommy next year. Or maybe hire sitter to watch the little one when you're going out for something more invovled than a local park.

amother

Springgreen

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 1:00 pm

I did it when I couldn’t afford camp. The thing is- I ended up spending a lot anyway so I’m not sure if it’s worth it. When they came with me grocery shopping I would let them pick a treat- something I don’t usually do. Or I would take them to the ice cream store and justified it because I was saving so much by not sending them to camp. I would let them buy stuff at the dollar store.. sometimes I bought projects, arts n crafts, once in a while we went bowling or did something similar. I ended up spending a lot that summer justifying it all that they didn’t go to camp so they deserve it but I don’t think I really saved at the end. Also, I don’t do well outdoors in the heat during the summer. The kids don’t really care about the heat so I would push myself for them and feel exhausted afterwards.
Another thing- kids need friends. Just 2 siblings hanging out together for 10 weeks is probably not going to be enough for them. My neighbor keeps her kids home but she has 9 kids all close in age and I see them literally playing all day.., jump rope, belts.. etc. I think you would need more kids around to keep them busy and happy. This sounds like it could be good for 2-3 weeks but not the whole summer.

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 1:04 pm

amother OP wrote:

Maybe ask your kids what they want to do.

amother

Chambray

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 1:08 pm

I personally love doing camp mommy. My kids are 7, 5, and 1. Im also very introverted and always make sure we have down time during the day. An art and craft, listening to a story on CD or the like.
I also buy a water activity type thing or make sure to have access to a pool.

mummiedearest

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 2:46 pm

I did it for years. Fellow introvert here. Do it! You need to make up a daily schedule in advance. It ideas don’t have to be expensive. We did once a week trips, had a pool in the backyard, visited parks, baked challah, did arts and crafts (oriental trading projects can be dirt cheap, look at their sales) played outside, visited the library. My local library has free activities daily in the summer, so we spent most of our time there for a couple of summers. Plan things out very precisely. Have a visual schedule so the kids know what to expect, and establish rules for the summer- things like “the living room floor has to be visible by 9:45 a.m. so we can go to the park.” Assign chores and dedicate a daily chore time. You do need time alone- require 45 minutes of reading daily. They can take turns reading to the toddler. If you have a space where they can play outside without your supervision, schedule that in right after. Make it 45 minutes, and you have 1.5 hours of alone time. Not bad! You can leave them to their own devices with a bunch of activities. Free play is useful too. As long as you are involved in most activities, it’ll be a great bonding summer.

I advise you do a month or more. It can take up to two weeks for the kids to settle into the routine. They will fight like crazy until they do. Just wait it out, they need time to be friends with each other. Don’t stress if you can’t follow the schedule precisely, btw. Once the routine is set, allow for flexibility. My kids loved mommy day camp.