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Community Corner

The Long Hot Summer Season

Even though summer is usually a fun time of the year for working parents with kids you have to learn how to juggle things.

Each year about this time Altadenans prepare for their long hot summer season. For the youth it is a time away from school with maybe a part-time job for the older teens to earn a few extra bucks in order to buy some of the things they like.

Since it gets fairly hot here most try to find ways to keep cool away from the blaring heat if and when possible. Even for the bikers and hikers you almost have to start before the crack of dawn in order to beat the heat. With the time change you have first light close to 5 a.m., a good time to hit the trail up through the Mount Lowe Gate at the top of Lake Avenue, if you can stomach the early rise.

For the adults this time of year can be a difficult time because in addition to the extra heat and longer days you still have to work your usual schedule. You also have to plan how to properly care for your school age kids during the summer school hiatus.

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Perhaps or trips to the Boys and Girls Club may become the new routine for some parents, but for others it's or maybe even a chance to visit relatives out of the immediate area.

We are fortunate to have several very active Boys and Girls Clubs here locally and in the nearby areas. is located at 2020 N. Fair Oaks Ave.,  and, to my surprise, the Five Acres, over at 760 W. Mountain View St., is listed as one as well.

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In addition there are clubs in Pasadena, Monrovia and other nearby cities that are close enough for parents to drop their kids off for the day.

With the economy being as depressed as it has been over the past few years most people don’t have the same options without the extra funds. With single parents it can be even more difficult trying to manage the kids, home, job and other responsibilities during this time of year.

We were fortunate, years ago, to pay a minimal fee and have our kids spend much quality time at the local Boys and Girls Club. Their fee compared with what you would have to pay for a full time sitter is just a drop in the bucket.  They serve decent meals as well.

If you have extended family in the nearby area perhaps you can lean on them to take up some of the slack. With so many people unemployed or otherwise retired they can be used to take up some of the slack as well.

Grandparents who are not out traveling the world are also a great option. It gives them a chance to spend more time with their grandkids and also provide the parents a great childcare management option.

Some, still plan summer vacations but with the high cost of gas and travel they may need to scale back on their travel plans. Rather than a trip to Europe or across the country, there are tons of options we have living in California. There are many places nearby where you can have a great get-away without the high cost.

If you are an Auto Club member you can plan road trips with maps and reservations planned for you. You can do the same thing yourself online if you are computer-savvy, or use a travel agent.  However, in order to manage with your limited funds, just Google fun things nearby. Getting away could mean just going a few hours away to one of our many beach cities or campgrounds.

Back in the olden days before the computer age most of this information was not readily available to the average consumer but today you almost have as much access to information as does the travel agent. It may take a little more exploring on your part but if you allow the kids to be a part of the planning and exploring, that will make it even more enjoyable for them as well.

With the dangers of traveling to certain places (i.e. Mexico) one does need to check in with the appropriate policing agencies in order to make sure you are not traveling into a place that is unsafe for travel, but most of that information is also available online.

One other way to manage the long hot summer is to check in with the people you know who are not working or leaving town and offer them a few extra bucks to allow your kids to stay over, especially if they also have children. Obviously this would require that you actually know these people, because the safety of your children must come first.

Yes, summer is a great time that most of us look forward to, but if you recall that was mostly for people not in the work pool yet having children. If you have the extra funds and take advantage of good planning perhaps for two or three weeks you can manage well, but the summer covers about three long months.

As you well know, children are a 24/7-365 days-a-year responsibility, one extra day on the leap year. This could last for 18 or more years or until your children move away from home or out on their own.

During the school year you learn to manage things with the aid of others, but during the summer months you have to manage in a different way. Still, each year you manage to get through it.

Life is like that. You may not know exactly what it will bring but somehow you learn to deal with it one day at a time. Eventually the kids will be adults themselves and they will have to learn to manage what you learned over the years.

Though summers are usually fun times, during times such as these you just need to juggle a little harder and be a little more creative in planning fun things to do. However, just as you did last year and the year before, somehow you will get through it and hopefully have a great season of fun as well. 

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