No Crowding

June 1, 2023

"The best thing about your newsletter," said a reader who met me in person at an event last June, "is the sheer number of things to do, stuff that I didn't already know about, and the fact that they're just packed in there, all in one handy place."

"Thanks!" I said. I may have glowed a little.

"And the worst thing about your newsletter," she continued, "is the guilt trip. I know you don't mean to lay that on us. But every single one of your readers wants to be the best parent possible, which means taking advantage of all of these wonderful opportunities. But it means we read about so much we can't do. Especially in summer."

She was right, in one sense, of course. June and July are the most packed months of the calendar: Kids are out of school, families are ready for fun, and our communities respond. Each local organization gets to post its own events on our calendar for free, and many are featured in the newsletter, so what's happening is right there in front of you. People who want to do it all... want to do it all.

So I hereby remove the guilt. Ego te absolvo. Of course, good parents try to expose their kids to great things, but no one has the time, money, or energy to do it all. This stuff needs to be spread out over a childhood, not packed into a single summer, much less a single weekend. Sure, make a family bucket list for Summer 2023. An easy way to do that is to take our annual survey of the Top 20 Places to Take Kids, which is open through June 19; it has dozens of links to fun! Check out our everything that's free page. Use our 50 Ways to Love Your Summer for ideas that require zero technology, zero travel, and zero dollars.

Above all, go easy! Remember, summer is no time for grades! The only prize is the summer that's right for your family.

—Deb