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<blockquote data-quote="SearchingForRainbows" data-source="post: 509727" data-attributes="member: 3388"><p>It sounds like your difficult child is going to have a fun summer whether or not he wants to admit it. I used to try to get summer plans made for difficult child 1 and difficult child 2 as soon as possible because I don't think I would have been able to survive a summer if they were home all the time. Both of them went to Y day camp. We were fortunate because the staff, for the most part, was great. By the time my boys stopped going, every single counselor, director, etc..., knew them way too well!! And, I don't mean this in a good way... We were lucky because they were willing to work with us, to find counselors, groups best suited to their needs, and sincerely wanted them to have positive summer experiences.</p><p></p><p>When difficult child 1 was too old for day camp he was at his "difficult child best." We knew we couldn't let him remain at home and I spent as much time as possible researching summer activities. We found a great overnight camp, pricey, even though it was a not for profit camp, but well worth the money. It helped save our sanity and best of all difficult child 1 ended up thriving in this environment. </p><p></p><p>It definitely gets harder to find activities for them as they get older. In our case, difficult child 2 was so socially immature that he was allowed to remain at day camp through his junior year of high school (he was 18 because we kept him back a year.) He enjoyed camp but was always socially isolated and used to hang out with the counselors. It's hard to admit this but I think his last year at day camp was more for my sanity then for him!!</p><p></p><p>The summer before the start of his senior year at high school, we got him a volunteer position at our senior center. The staff let him spend most of his time playing cards and doing crafts with the seniors. They let him "help" by passing out snacks, setting up chairs for special events, and filling bags for the food pantry. He was supposed to help the janitor clean windows, take out garbage, etc... However, if he didn't want to help, he didn't have to. Not much was expected of him, and in lots of ways, while staff tried to be helpful, they ended up treating him like a baby. He responded by acting much like a young child, dancing through the hallways, acting very goofy, taking candy from the front desk, etc... However difficult child 2 enjoyed his time there and we're grateful that the staff took an interest in him. I don't know what I would have done if he didn't spend that summer at the senior center!!</p><p></p><p>Step, I like Terry's idea about sending him to the Boys and Girls Club. I don't know if I'll come up with any other ideas, but I'm going to continue thinking about this. You need a break!! in my humble opinion, I think every parent of a difficult child needs at least part of every summer off!! SFR</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SearchingForRainbows, post: 509727, member: 3388"] It sounds like your difficult child is going to have a fun summer whether or not he wants to admit it. I used to try to get summer plans made for difficult child 1 and difficult child 2 as soon as possible because I don't think I would have been able to survive a summer if they were home all the time. Both of them went to Y day camp. We were fortunate because the staff, for the most part, was great. By the time my boys stopped going, every single counselor, director, etc..., knew them way too well!! And, I don't mean this in a good way... We were lucky because they were willing to work with us, to find counselors, groups best suited to their needs, and sincerely wanted them to have positive summer experiences. When difficult child 1 was too old for day camp he was at his "difficult child best." We knew we couldn't let him remain at home and I spent as much time as possible researching summer activities. We found a great overnight camp, pricey, even though it was a not for profit camp, but well worth the money. It helped save our sanity and best of all difficult child 1 ended up thriving in this environment. It definitely gets harder to find activities for them as they get older. In our case, difficult child 2 was so socially immature that he was allowed to remain at day camp through his junior year of high school (he was 18 because we kept him back a year.) He enjoyed camp but was always socially isolated and used to hang out with the counselors. It's hard to admit this but I think his last year at day camp was more for my sanity then for him!! The summer before the start of his senior year at high school, we got him a volunteer position at our senior center. The staff let him spend most of his time playing cards and doing crafts with the seniors. They let him "help" by passing out snacks, setting up chairs for special events, and filling bags for the food pantry. He was supposed to help the janitor clean windows, take out garbage, etc... However, if he didn't want to help, he didn't have to. Not much was expected of him, and in lots of ways, while staff tried to be helpful, they ended up treating him like a baby. He responded by acting much like a young child, dancing through the hallways, acting very goofy, taking candy from the front desk, etc... However difficult child 2 enjoyed his time there and we're grateful that the staff took an interest in him. I don't know what I would have done if he didn't spend that summer at the senior center!! Step, I like Terry's idea about sending him to the Boys and Girls Club. I don't know if I'll come up with any other ideas, but I'm going to continue thinking about this. You need a break!! in my humble opinion, I think every parent of a difficult child needs at least part of every summer off!! SFR [/QUOTE]
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