The school year ends tomorrow, and the beginning of parent guided enrichment and supplementary programs begins. The lazy summer does not exist anymore.

Studies show that middle class kids get smarter over the summer, and that lower income kids lose skills over the summer. Why? Because we’re plunking our kids in camps and enrichment programs for ten weeks. Music programs, computer classes, space camps, sports clubs, math enrichment. Kids are busy.

Ian starts camp on Wednesday. He’s going to a Jewish camp that will provide him with a shadow. He’ll increase his conversational skills and build muscles at a camp in the woods about a half hour from here. It means a lot of driving for me. Three hours in the car. The school district first said that they would pay for part of it, because he’s entitled to an extended school year. Then they said they would pay a small portion. Now, they’re not paying for anything. But this is the right place for him, so we’re going to deal with it. Ian needs constant social inputs. Between camps and trips to shore with grandparents, I think I’ll have him booked for almost the whole summer.

Jonah will volunteer at a local camp and start training for cross country. The sports season begins in August. He’ll have much more free time than Ian, but not as much as he would like.

I have mixed feeling about being part of the middle class parent brigade that over schedules her children. Ian needs the programming, so I don’t feel bad about booking him up. Without some organized activities, he’ll spend too much time alone. There are no neighborhood gangs of freewheeling kids. Without some structure, Jonah will sleep until noon every day and that will drive me batty.

If kids grow so much in these private programs that parents set up in the summer time, why can’t the rest of the school year be like summer? What if every kid had a middle class summer experience, all year long?