Summer with the Kids

Written by Elaine M. Gibson

• Bored...Nothing to Do
  Some children find it difficult to adjust to the unstructured days of summer vacation. They are immediately "bored" and turn to adults to tell them what to do. If we could schedule these kids from 7 am to 9 pm in some sort of activity, would the problem be solved?

  advertisement

  The problem is not one of finding enough activities. Boredom is a problem that belongs to the child, not the parents.

• Providing Structure During Summer Vacation
  Free, unstructured time should be part of every day, but children also need a set time for work. Children need responsibilities and limits even during the summer. If children think someone owes them a holiday, they can soon become impossible to live with.

• Vacations are for Memories
  Fun family vacations are events to be remembered. The quality of every day life provides the basis for children's feelings about their family; but if the foundation of family life is solid, the extra effort for family vacations can provide memories for a lifetime.

• Summer Car Travel
  Traveling with children can be difficult and demanding, but advance planning can take some of the lumps out of travel.

• Attending Family Reunions
  Parents who expect their children to model perfect behavior when relatives are present are destined for disappointment and frustration. We can hope for it but we shouldn't expect it. Travel, lack of sleep, change in eating habits, and stress are hard on parents and kids. A few things I've learned through personal experience might help those of you who will be taking children to visit relatives.

• Wet Fun for Summer
  Wet Outdoor Games: A few suggestions for what to do with the young children midway through summer vacation.

• Time Out
  Without a doubt, a great discipline technique when used properly.

• Here comes the Judge
  Every family needs an objective, non-partisan referee for daily events. The kitchen timer can be just that. A kitchen timer is one of the most useful tools a parent can own.

• Siblings Fighting
  Punishing, yelling, begging, pleading -- all useless. There is a solution that works.

• Tattling
  If you understand the motive, you can stop the behavior. Here's a response that works.