My husband and I cannot agree on what a 'fun summer' for the kids actually costs.

By @maralol · Family

I have what I think is a pretty normal list of summer activities planned, but he's balking at the price of everything. He thinks we can have a perfectly good summer for free at home.

The full story

School's out and I'm trying to get our summer calendar sorted for our two kids (8 and 10). I budgeted for a membership to the local pool club, a 3-day art camp the older one is dying to do, and a long weekend trip to a lake town a few hours away. All in all, it's about $1500. When I showed my husband the breakdown, he basically had a minor panic attack. He pointed to our savings goals (we're trying to get the house re-sided next year) and said it was completely unnecessary. His idea of a 'fun summer' is running through the sprinkler in the backyard, going to the library, and maybe having a few bonfires. I get the need to save, I really do. But the kids are at an age where they want to do stuff and see their friends, and I don't want their entire summer memory to be us saying 'no, that costs too much.' I'm also the one who's home with them most of the time, so I feel like the Entertainment Director who's being given zero budget to work with. He thinks I'm trying to live some bougie lifestyle, but I feel like these are just normal kid things. Am I being unrealistic about the cost of summer fun?

How people voted

Side A — 30% (58 votes)
Both — 39% (75 votes)
Side B — 31% (59 votes)

Readers are split: “Both” leads with 39% — 192 votes and 5 comments so far.

What people are saying

@piahm — Every time the kids complain they're bored for the next year just say 'yeah but think of the house siding'.
@karay — He's weaponizing your savings goal to control you.
@movingon — Running through a sprinkler was a perfectly good summer when I was a kid and we turned out fine.
@miloactually — bruh
@judey — Ah yes the famously bougie local pool.

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