Today starts Spring Break for my kids. They are so thrilled to have a week off, and I am happy for them. But as much as they think they want freedom from school structure, without some good planning on my part, they will be bored by, oh, about noon. “Now what can I do?” they will chant in tandem. And I’ll list 15 or 20 possibilities (play with your toys, read a book, do a puzzle, draw, paint, play in the back yard, play hide-and-seek, chalk up the driveway, ride bikes, take a neighborhood walk, help me rake, and on, and on, and on). “No, No, No, No, No,” they will repeat after each of my ideas, and as a result, I’ll end up utterly frustrated by lunchtime, on day one. Not a fun scenario for any of us. Which is why I’m making some plans.

We’re going bowling (real bowling, not Wii bowling). We’re going to Busch Gardens. We’re going to a birthday party. We’ll throw in a park trip or two, some swimming in the neighborhood pool, some basketball and maybe a jaunt to the beach. And I won’t be asking them if they want to do these things. I’ll be telling them. “We’re going bowling,” I’ll announce before coaching them into the car, because when it comes down to it, they really don’t want freedom. Freedom is boring when you’re 5 and 8 years old. Structure is so much better. For them. And for me.

OK, I’ve got to know: How do you structure your Spring Break?