Kids and Summer Freedom

As summer gets underway, the question many people have on their minds is which characters will survive the upcoming season of Game of Thrones. For those who have children, some other equally important questions pop up: what will the kids do this summer, and how much freedom should I give them?

Summer is a great time for your kids to learn new skills, make new friends and have experiences they wouldn’t normally get during the school year. The summer schedule is full of opportunities for them to go to camp, hone their basketball or clarinet skills, or learn how to swim. The good part about these camps and classes is that the kids will be supervised and have a structure to their days. 

Not every day needs to be planned, however.  It’s important to give them some down time to learn and grow on their own. You’ll still want to set some guidelines such as curfew times and keeping you informed of their whereabouts. It can be a fine balancing act.

The best of both worlds is to involve your kids. Talk to them and find out what they want to do.  Let them plan some of their activities and adventures. It gives you a chance to be more involved in their lives and helps them take some responsibility for what they do. 

You and your kids have a whole glorious summer in front of you, and with a little planning everyone can make the most of it. For some other ideas about how to spend the summer, check out this link from Care.com.