Set my people free...

Only a few weeks until summer vacation officially overtakes the peace and quiet of my home office. Usually, I brace myself for the inevitable whining that starts within a day or two: "I'm booooored." But not this year. What's my plan to infuse adventure and excitement into my children's summertime existence?

Jobs you ask? Well, yes, for the older ones. And household chores for the younger two.

Day camps? I've signed my kids up for a few activities, but not enough to keep me driving hither and yon for weeks on end. Mom's taxi service needs a vacation, too.

No, my plan to offset those long and lazy afternoons spent glazed in front of Disney sitcom reruns is a throwback to my own childhood summers -- months I spent tooling around on my trusty yellow Schwinn visiting friends and riding to the Tastee Twist.

I'm going to loosen the reins and allow my kids some freedom.

OK, hold onto those tomatoes for just a minute! First, I didn't say I was going to curl up on the couch with a magazine and a martini while my children run amok in the streets of suburbia.

I'm just going to figure out how to give them a bit more independence so they can become... well... a bit more independent.

We're a culture of hoverparents, myself included. But last week I read the new blog site of columnist Lenore Skenazy, not only a wickedly funny writer but a pretty smart mom, as well. Check out her blog called FreeRangeKids.com and see if you don't find yourself nodding as you read her common sense approach to parenting.

I can hardly wait until the first time my kids complain to me about being bored this summer. I'm going to hand them each a dollar, point to their bikes and say, "Ride to the dairy store and get an ice cream cone."

They'll be a bit surprised at my suggestion, but I know they're perfectly capable of getting there and back just fine. I wonder if I can get them to bring me a frozen Diet Coke before it melts