For parents, this could be a tough summer

We'll still have sunshine, grilled burgers and veggies, and the beaches are open. But, we'll have to think twice - or maybe five times - before inviting any friends over for that cookout, and everyone is likely to have different comfort levels with the beach. It may be more of a kiddie pool and Zoom cookout kind of season.

Kidding aside, the dearth of summer camps and neighborhood kids just hanging out together will make a long and often stressful spring of working at home with kids stretch into summer with no specific end in sight. 

Of course, we'll make the best of it -- setting up tents in the backyard and making s'mores, looking for lightning bugs, distanced sprinkler parties... And, a few more daytime hours with the family than you usually get while working? Pretty sweet.

Give yourself - and any parents you know - some freedom to enjoy summer in between the stressful moments. Maybe we can be more like kids this summer ourselves. Sitting in the backyard in the sun with a popsicle is a pretty great substitute for the coffee break!

More on parents, looking forward to more information from the state's education task force, and your invitation to try out Ancestry Library from home. And, of course, some reading suggestions for everyone -- this time some mysteries and thrillers recommended by Cindy. 

“The days are packed and incredibly monotonous, and I am not productive,” she said. Her husband is also a professor, and she has child care help two days a week from her mother-in-law. Their schedules are fairly flexible — in general, he watches the kids in the morning while she works, then they swap after lunch. But it leaves them with a truncated work day in a house with two noisy kids, and the stressors accrue over time.

When the pandemic began, Dr. Nelson was not concerned about its impact on her own children’s mental health, but as it drags on, she worries about her 8-year-old especially. “It’s hard keeping him happy, motivated, and OK since school ended,” she said, because he no longer gets to see his friends and teachers (even virtually) on a regular basis.