How working parents can maintain their summer sanity

The summer poses unique challenges for working parents, as balancing work and parenting becomes increasingly difficult. One major hurdle is securing appropriate camps or childcare, which can be expensive and fill up quickly. Even if camp works out well, there's often not enough coverage to maintain throughout the entire summer. Camp pickup is usually around 3 p.m., which is before the end of the workday, and finding childcare options during the gap between camp and school resuming can be a daunting task.

To combat these issues, some parents are opting for a "feral" or "90s-style" summer, where children are encouraged to engage in unstructured play, like riding bikes and exploring their neighborhoods, without constant adult supervision.

For working parents, embracing the "wild child" concept is possible by setting behavioral goals and encouraging children to spend their time productively. For instance, allowing a child to earn spending money to visit a nearby store or socialize with friends can help foster independence and responsibility. Allowing children to determine their own sleep schedules, while still maintaining some boundaries around screen time and devices, can also contribute to a more relaxed summer.

Utilizing parental controls on streaming services and YouTube can help ensure that kids are exposed to age-appropriate content.

Introducing chores and offloading new parenting responsibilities to a partner can also help alleviate some of the stress of the summer. By implementing these strategies, working parents can maintain their sanity during the summer months and better prepare their children for the upcoming school year.