Camp Mom

Camps all over the city and bus rides away in the country start their days early in the morning, preparing sports lessons and water games and arts and crafts. At the moment, my kids are not attending any of them. Early in the morning, as I am approaching the end of an overnight, I too am starting early, preparing for what will be today's version of "Camp Mom."

Camp Mom is not nearly as organized as most of the operations around, but it has flexible start and end times, and a rainy day backup plan.

Camp Mom is not usually as sweat-producing as most of the places around, but its campers are still active, just in other ways.

Camp Mom doesn't include brown bag lunches or afternoon Popsicles, but its participants eat well, and regularly.

Camp Mom doesn't provide the much needed 9 to 4 break for Mom, but it provides hours of time for its campers and their "counselor" to see each other in action.

Camp Mom isn't for the faint of heart (or, perhaps, for the small of child), but it is a welcome reminder that summers weren't always non-stop activity.

Camp Mom, while not planned back in February or even in June, is just as much summer as any expensive week in the city or the country. It's simply summer one day, and one minute, at a time. Courtesy of its intrepid campers. And an offbeat work schedule. Oh, and the counselor of the day--Mom.