For most Israeli school-children (including High Schoolers), summer has begun. Most schools in Israel ended their school year this week. I understand other schools will end soon, too.
For most families, this means only one thing: the challenge of keeping children safe and busy all day long during their vacation. It's a challenge that begins now and extends to the beginning of September, when school begins once again.
Many cities in Israel run some form of publicly-sponsored day camps which replicate normal school hours. This keeps our children and grandchildren busy, on vacation and within structured environments. But these local camps aren't free. Some parents (many parents?) cannot afford the cost of these camps. That means our children and grandchildren often become home-alone children for all or part of a day--every day for the next ten weeks.
Today's cartoon is a social comment about summer school-vacation--and how parents handle the challenges that vacation creates. I don't believe these challenges are unique to Israel. I believe every parent with children has the same problem each summer.
If a family has the money to send children to summer camps, many problems are resolved. But then, how do parents without that money cope? This cartoon suggests an insight.
The cartoon comes from the jewishpress. It's dated June 21, 2017 which, for many, was the last day of school/beginning of summer vacation.The cartoonist is Asher Schwartz:
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, this picture speaks volumes. Here's how I read this cartoon: parents who don't have the money to fund activities and camps for their children over the next ten weeks will wear blinders and put on a happy face. The home-bound children, meanwhile, will dedicate themselves to what one might call, sibling rivalry.
Sound familiar?
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