Happy camper

"School's out for summer!"

There's something about the 1970s song by Alice Cooper that gets kids riled up for summer. What do they have to look forward to? Nothing ... as in doing nothing. No studying. No tests. Plenty of TV time. Sleeping in.

That's most kids anyway. Not Carter. He still has to get to bed by 8:33 p.m. He still has to get up by 6:15 a.m. to leave the house by 6:45 p.m. In the summer, Carter "commutes" with Mom and Dad.

We are fortunate that there is a school-aged childcare program in Iola. For the past 3 summers, Carter has quietly and patiently rode the 45 miles to Iola (and Jim has no gray hairs from this), where we've dropped him off at a church there to play and make friends while we went to work a few blocks away. It's been a great experience. All the kids are 1st through 6th-graders so there are no diapers and no naps.

This year it's gotten even better. They've moved the program to the village's exceptional fitness and aquatic center. They're calling it Kids Club Camp. Same concept, different location.

Carter's first day at camp was "the funnest day of my life," he reported this afternoon. We expect we'll hear that a lot this summer. He gets to swim every single day in their cool pool with the twisty slide. Plus make things, play games and exercise. As a bonus, he gets to hear Mom and Dad gripe about work on the ride home each night.

What more could a kid want? I'll think he'll be a pretty happy camper. Now it's Mom and Dad's turn to learn patience, understanding, patience ... did I mention patience?