• For the past four summers, my family and friends have taken a summer vacation to Colorado.
• But the kids go to summer camp during the day, so we parents get to have fun.
• I think it's important our kids see us be adults outside being parents.

For the past three summers, my friends and I have driven our families to Colorado to work remotely, be playful adults, and, in some ways, mildly neglect our children.

My friends and I work hard to nurture our relationships. Whether it's a constantly changing technological landscape or a precarious job market, the world around us continues to evolve quickly.

Maintaining a sense of interconnectedness in our friend group helps us to feel more stable, but it also allows us to find communal joy, for ourselves, explicitly outside our kids.

To further connect on trips, we take it a step further and send our kids to day camp so we can get some respite from our typical demands.

Sending our kids to camp gives us parents a break

Parental expectations seem endless these days. Under the umbrella of intensive parenting, there seems to be an implicit message: we need to be constantly available to our kids.

There's a steady stream of emails coming from schools, applications to download for every sport, and a birthday party scene that is, at times, unbearable. To avoid burnout, we need to strike a balance; to thrive, we need enjoyment.

To do so, our children attend a very reasonably priced day camp in Colorado while my friends and I take our own vacation.

It is a much-needed escape from commuting to an office, rushing to the school pick-up line, and making it to another early-morning sports game. A lingering benefit of the pandemic is that we are all able to slip into remote work for a short time; we take full advantage of the setup. Consolidating our work so we can enjoy our downtime is the goal for the two weeks in Colorado.

We commit ourselves to having fun and strengthening our bonds, hoping that our kids pick up on the importance of connectedness, friendship, and enjoying life in the face of unpredictability.

It's important our kids see us as real people — not just their parents

It's a nice byproduct that our children see their parents as their own people — adults who pursue fun and find ways to play.

We certainly field many comments about how "it is not fair" that we do fun stuff without them. But this does not deter us.

In fact, last year, during a hike through the scenic Rocky Mountain National Park, we ran into our children while they were on their own camp-sponsored hike.

That evening was full of more demanding questions about how we spend our time.

The fun doesn't end when we pick the kids up from camp

We have been intentional about picking an area where we can also let the kids roam a bit.

After-camp hours are filled with self-guided play and time spent outside. So, our evenings feel like a nice balance between connecting with our kids and giving them time to play with one another.

Through these trips, we also hope to instill a sense of independence and love of nature. The whole experience ends up allowing our kids to learn from each other in ways they won't when we are around, and the grownups get space for uncensored adult time, leaving us with more gas in the tank.

We are all set for our fourth annual trip. While the kids are excited to escape the Texas heat and get to the mountains, we adults have been planning for our own adventures. There has been talk of our favorite pastries for breakfast, tennis, hiking, and white-water rafting…none of which our kids are invited to.

• After traveling to all 50 states solo, I've narrowed down the best cities to visit in the summer.
• Places like Taos, New Mexico, and Anchorage, Alaska, experience milder temperatures in the summer.
• Lubec, Maine, and Carmel-by-the-Sea, California feel like they're straight out of a fairytale.

When the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, I think it's the perfect opportunity to explore new parts of the United States.

After visiting all 50 states solo, I can recommend dozens of places to visit in the summer, but some stand out for their solitude, outdoor activities, accessibility, or great weather.

These are the seven cities and towns I've been telling my friends to visit this year.

Chicago really comes alive in the summer months.

Growing up in Illinois, I spent many summer days in Chicago. But, honestly, it wasn't until I'd visited all 50 states that I understood just how magical the city becomes in the warmer months.

Each summer, Millennium Park hosts a packed calendar of free outdoor concerts and festivals, and the Riverwalk comes alive with outdoor dining and kayakers.

Plus, the lakefront beaches are among my favorites in the country.

Lubec, Maine, is one of my favorite places to visit.

In my opinion, Maine feels like a fairytale in the summer months. With lush forests, rocky coastlines, and quaint fishing villages — you really can't go wrong.

However, the place I find myself recommending most (and dreaming about visiting again) is Lubec. Home to the easternmost point in the contiguous US, this town feels like a Hallmark movie.

I love hiking at West Quoddy Head State Park, staying at The Inn on the Wharf, eating lobster at Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant, and hiking or biking on the Cobscook Shores Trail.

There's so much to do in Taos, New Mexico.

The temperatures in Taos, New Mexico, stay surprisingly mild in the summer months, with highs in the mid-80s and lows ranging from the high-40s to low-50s. This makes it a great destination if you're looking to escape those hot summer nights.

Plus, there's so much to do. I like to visit Taos Pueblo, one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America. Here, visitors can take guided or unguided tours of the Native American village.

When I want to spend some time outside, I hike the Williams Lake Trail, a beautiful 3.8-mile round-trip trek to the lake at the base of Wheeler Peak.

Jackson, Wyoming, is the perfect home base for outdoor adventure.

Summer is absolutely high season in Jackson, Wyoming, but to me, it's still worth battling some traffic to experience.

The town sits right outside Grand Teton National Park, and the outdoor recreation options in the area are almost overwhelming — hiking, fly fishing, rafting the Snake River, and kayaking across beautiful lakes.

Jackson's Town Square is worth an evening of its own for exploring the shops, grabbing dinner or a drink, or attending one of the summer festivals or markets.

Another perk? Jackson Hole Airport is the only commercial airport in the country located entirely within a national park — so you can fly straight into one of the most stunning places in America.

I think Anchorage, Alaska, is a must-visit destination.

I think everyone should experience the magic of Alaska in the summer. The days are incredibly long, the weather is mild, and everything feels more accessible.

Although there are lots of cities I love visiting in the state, Anchorage is my top pick because there's so much to do. I love visiting the Anchorage Museum, hiking the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, eating at Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria, or grabbing brunch at Biscuitclub.

The town is also a good basecamp for day trips to Seward, the Kenai Peninsula, and Girdwood.

Brevard, North Carolina, is the perfect place to stay if you want to see waterfalls.

I think Western North Carolina is one of the most beautiful parts of the country. However, my favorite town to visit is Brevard.

Located in Transylvania County — known as the "Land of Waterfalls" for its more than 250 cascades — Brevard is the perfect home base for exploring the area.

Within the town itself, I love attending the concerts put on by the Brevard Music Center, a summer training institute for young musicians.

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, feels like a fairytale.

Even though I've lost count of how many times I've visited Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, I'm still not tired of it.

The downtown area genuinely feels like stepping inside a storybook, with whimsical cottages built in the 1920s, and 41 hidden courtyards and passageways filled with shops and restaurants.

I love staying downtown and just walking between the 17 wine-tasting rooms — it's one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon.

• My son is returning home for the summer after his freshman year at college.
• Even though he had a lot of freedom at college, I will still reinforce all my house rules.
• I'm nervous that he won't be happy at home with the rules, but I know it's for the best.

I am a single mom to two pretty cool kids. Together, we are a tight-knit unit.

That's why when my son got into college, which was only two hours away, I was a mess. I was thrilled for him, but at the same time, I was completely broken knowing he was going to move away.

The first year at college was an adjustment period for both of us. I had to get used to not having him around the house or at the dinner table, and the house was suddenly a lot quieter. But for him, he now had his own life at school.

Freshman year flew by, and thankfully, we had lots of visits. I saw him at least once a month, and then the holidays were long, awesome stretches of having him home.

But now, as his first year is coming to an end, I am starting to feel nervous about having him back home for the summer.

The biggest thing I worry about is how he will adapt to being back home

There are still rules at home, but there were none at school. I will have to enforce the boundaries under my roof, even though he has essentially been free for the past nine months.

First of all, at school, all he needed to do was pass his classes. At home, the list of rules is long. The first thing we will need to reestablish is that he cannot come and go at all hours of the night, as he pleases. I can't really use the word "curfew," but essentially that will be in place. At school, no one was checking in to see when he would come home or who he would come home with.

Also, at home, he needs to keep his room clean, while his dorm room was a breeding ground for new species. On that note, there was also a communal bathroom on his floor, so everyone only took their toiletries with them when they needed to shower or get ready. At home, he has his own bathroom, and I expect him to clean up after himself.

I am not looking forward to his relationships with girls while at home

While he was away at school, I had no idea what his dating life looked like — or if he even had one. I don't know who the young ladies accompanying him were or what they were doing.

But this summer, there will be strict rules around dating.

Under my roof, it will only be him in his room, and he will need to sleep in his own bed — every night.

I need to be respected, and these are the rules he needs to follow.

I also feel anxious about him being happy to be home

Since these rules will be in effect, I find myself nervous about how he will adjust to his former life when our lives at home stay the same.

It's not all doom and gloom. The one thing I realized is that some of the rules I implemented at home, he himself followed at school.

He would sometimes call me and even say, "Hey, Mom, you would be proud of me; I did this." The truth is, I was proud of him, and the rules were a part of his independence.

So, for the parents who are anxious about having their freshmen return home, take a deep breath and remember, this is still your house, and they should be happy to be home, rules included.