The focus during the school year is learning and grades. When school is over and summer vacation begins each parent needs to have a plan that includes continued development of the child. Without a plan our children would spend the entire summer in front of a TV set or roaming the streets with other children that have nothing to do. My only still at home child is twelve years old. Each summer I plan on investing a percentage of my time helping him find out what he is good at. Last summer he had a few golf lessons and did pretty good. This summer I am going to schedule a couple games of golf each week so he can learn the sport. I have enrolled him in a self defense class which provides three lessons per week and also requires another three hours of practice at home per week. This is important because it will prepare him for the seventh grade when all the bullies start coming out of the woodwork. It's not that I want him to be a fighter, I just don't want him to be a victim. I 'm making him earn his own money this summer which involves working about two hours a day five days a week. Being twelve years old he can now start learning how to be a handyman around the house. This summer I am going to paint the outside of the house. My wife wants me to remodel our bedroom and one bathroom. I estimate about two days a week that he and I can work on these jobs. He was a little lazy with his reading this school year so I will require him to read a book every two weeks to make up for that. Last but not least we schedule a couple weekends of camping during the summer. Sounds like a plan to me.