Summer: a time for choices
Jewish summer camp. Â Arts classes. Internships. Specialty Sports Camps. College Prep Programs. Travel programs. SAT summer prep classes. Employment. Volunteer work.
The list of options for what teens can do in the summer can go on and on.
As the list gets longer, the frustration grows proportionately. How is a family to choose? In addition, there are a multitude of factors that also need to weigh in: the family’s work/life balance as parents juggle their own work schedules and vacation time, funds available at a time when resources are at a premium (pre-college), plus taking into account your teenager’s specific interests and career goals.
No wonder why so many parents are feeling overwhelmed. How do you help your teen choose what to do? What takes priority? The choices above are amplified by the following questions:
Should your teenager take on an internship?
Or do volunteer work?
Or use the time in the summer to prepare for college entrance exams?
What about taking a leadership role in an activity…is that off the table for the summer?
Should your teenager begin working so he/she learns responsibility and the value of a dollar?
How about making sure that your teen shows continuity by enhancing skills in a sport or activity that he/she excels in?
Another way to help, is for you to reflect back on your own summer experiences.
Which summer options continued to stick with you a long time after and why?
What would you have wished to do if you were able?
What mistakes did you make that actually contributed to the choices you’ve made now? (In other words, thinking about the positive outcomes of choices that might not have been the best might ease any guilt you might feel now of not making the perfect choice)
Here is my recommendation: select those activities that will continue to have meaning later in life.
When high school is a faded memory and your teen is already immersed in college–what activities will have made an impact?
Try thinking through summer activities with those goals in mind, despite how tempting it might be to fulfill short-term needs.
And I need to say here that you might just need to make sure that your teenager is occupied everyday while you’re at work. I get it, it is tough out there, no question.Â
If you are thinking about what would be best for the college resume, college counselors and admissions officers have told  me that after reading thousands and thousands of applications, they can see through the haze of shallow but well-intentioned lists of extracurricular activities that have breadth but no depth.
So, you need to maximize your teen’s time, short as it is. So, keep in mind that the grander purpose of these activities is to give your teen something that will add to his/her character, something that will have long-term meaning.
Photo credit: wikipedia
Are you struggling with summer decisions? Please share your comments and thoughts, I’d like to hear from you.
Related articles
Two minutes, three reasons why Jewish education helps teens focus on what’s important (ruthschapira.wordpress.com)
How to Choose High School Electives (bigfuture.collegeboard.org)
Jewish Education: What is its value-added for Jewish Teens?(ruthschapira.wordpress.com)