子供たちの長い夏休みを、いかにして過ごさせるか。
アメリカの親たちの最大の悩みのひとつでもある。
小学生のうちは、学校や習い事の送迎にも常に保護者の付き添いが必要で、
夏休みになると、学校や業者が提供するサマーキャンプに参加させることが多い。
我が家も幼少の頃は、いろんなキャンプに送り込んでいたけれど、
長男は高校生になると、キャンプのカウンセラー役を手伝うようになった。
半ばボランティアのようで、雀の涙ほどのアルバイト料しかもらえないけれど、
子供たちの世話をすることで学ぶことに、とても大きな意義がある。
末娘も高校生になった今夏は、３人揃って同じように出かけて行った。
同じキャンプに所属していても、役割はそれぞれで、給料もまったく違う。
毎日大型バスに揺られてニュージャージーにあるキャンプ場への往復。
日に２回の水泳指導と催し物の準備など、充実した時間を過ごしたようだった。
母はとにかく洗濯が大変で、毎晩遅くまで洗濯機を回し続ける日々だった。
６週間のミッションが終わり、少し逞しくなった彼らの笑顔が眩しい。
How to get children to spend their long summer vacation?
This is one of the biggest concerns of American parents.
Elementary school children always need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to and from school and lessons,
During the summer vacation, they often send their kids to summer camps provided by schools or vendors.
We used to send them to various camps when they were young, though,
When my oldest son became a high school student, he began helping as a camp counselor.
It was a semi-volunteer job, and he received only a tiny part-time fee for his services.
But it means a lot to them because they learn a lot from caring for the children.
Now that my youngest daughter is in high school, three kids went out together this summer.
Even though they belong to the same camp, they have different roles and are paid very different salaries.
Every day, they were driven to and from the campsite in New Jersey in a large bus.
They spent their time teaching swimming twice a day and preparing for events.
They had a lot of laundry, and as a mom, I kept running the washing machine late every night.
Their smiles dazzled as they became more challenging after their six-week mission.