If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Summertime blues - Here's a guide to getting kids off the couch
Summertime blues
Did your plans -- or lack of them -- go awry? Here's a guide to getting kids off the couch By Alison apRoberts -- Bee Staff Writer Published 12:01 am PDT Saturday, July 8, 2006 Story appeared in Scene section, Page K1 Is "I'm bored" your kid's new mantra? Are the only things getting a workout in your home the remote control, the refrigerator door and the sofa? After months of being the homework police, maybe you figured you could back off and give yourself and your child a break from deadlines and tight schedules. Let the kid sleep in, let summer unfold like a lazy daydream. Now you find that you were the one dreaming, and you're living with a nightma a child worn out by too much of nothing to do. And the season of discontent is far from over. Luckily, there's still time to get kids out of bed, away from the TV and even out of the house. Here's a poor-planner's guide to summer parenting, with some suggestions to bring the sunshine of a little routine into the season. Safety first There are compelling reasons to tackle the summer doldrums before downtime turns into down-and-out time. Younger kids need to have adults around to care for them and pull the reins on couch time. Kids generally should be 12 or so before they spend significant time unsupervised, according to Jean O'Neil, the director of research for the National Crime Prevention Council, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. But a child's readiness for home-alone time is variable. "There are some 14-year-olds who can run an empire and some 14-year-olds who can't run the garbage disposal without causing major havoc," O'Neil says. When adults aren't around, kids, uh, do stuff they aren't supposed to. "We certainly know that kids tend to participate in risky behaviors in unsupervised times," says Michelle Boykins, an NCPC spokeswoman. "We always say to parents, 'Know where your kids are,' " says Sgt. R.L. Davis, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. "And make sure your kids have a way to get ahold of you." Enrolling kids in activities that are overseen by adults is an obvious solution. It's finding balance in the schedule that's tricky. "One of the most difficult challenges a parent faces in the summer is, 'How do I keep my kid engaged without making them feel like they're on a treadmill?' " O'Neil says. How busy is busy enough? How much structure and supervision kids need varies, and there's no one-size-fits-all answer. "You can have the overscheduled, or the hurried or the pushed child," says Kimberly Gordon, a professor of child development at California State University, Sacramento. From infancy to about 6, all kids need lots of structure and routine in their lives, Gordon says. After that, they can take more flexibility in stride, but they still need monitoring. When they hit the double-digit ages, they may start to chafe against anything that sounds like baby-sitting. "They probably don't want to have someone watching them at 10, 11 or 12, but they really need it," Gordon says. Beyond that, more self-reliance -- with oversight -- is in order. "By the time they reach 13, they're probably OK by themselves," Gordon says. "If you work, you should check in by phone, and if they're busy four to six of the eight hours you're gone, that's probably good." Don't forget to ask Y At the Central Family YMCA in midtown Sacramento, executive director Liz Long is used to the desperate calls from parents who need to find something for their kids to do immediately. "You would be amazed," Long says. "Parents are surprised by the end of school." Luckily, Long often can help out, as many of the Y's camps for this summer were not yet filled by the end of June. In addition to day camps for younger kids, those 14 and older can have teen memberships for $22 a month at the Central YMCA and use the facility on their own. At the Sacramento YMCA's northeast facility on Eastern Avenue, there are spaces available in day camps for kids ages 5 to 14 for almost every week of the summer, according to Scott Graham, executive director. Kids 14 and up can be youth members at this facility for $10 a month during the summer, and teens also may come in to work as volunteers pretty much as they want. "Generally, we're not so big that we can't squeeze a kid into a program," Graham says. Filling in the gaps Sometimes kids need just a few hours or days of the week to keep them off the couch most of the week. "We're that middle ground for a lot of people; kids don't usually come every day," says Kim Williams, vice president of program services for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento. "Things that get kids out of the house; you can't go wrong with that. The less time they have to spend at home in front of the television, the better." Both Boys & Girls clubs in Sacramento have libraries, computer labs, gyms and game rooms. (Bring on the foosball tournaments.) Take your kid's lead Kimberley Kipp had trouble believing her ears when Nolan, her 13-year-old son, said he wanted to go to summer school. "I was flabbergasted," she says. "I just about fell on the floor." He meant it, and he's going to summer school at Christian Brothers High School (which he'll be entering as a freshman in the fall). He's taking two morning classes: algebra and study skills. Then he comes home for lunch and some ESPN time (he's "all about baseball" his mom says). Late afternoon, he usually starts calling friends to go to a movie, hang out or bike over to a gym near his home in Folsom. Kipp, who is a single mother who works from home, says this summer has been a breeze, in part because Nolan made his own plans and didn't feel they were imposed. "I don't have to haggle with him to get up," she says, trying not to sound astonished. Her advice for other parents: "Talk to your kids; see what interests them and make a plan." Do some good Some kids may be motivated by the chance to do something for someone else. "We get 10 to 15 calls a week from parents looking for things for their kids to do," says Frank Kennedy, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Sacramento. Kennedy says that if parents participate with their kids, children as young as 8 or 10 can find volunteer jobs. Independent volunteer work is usually restricted to kids of at least 13 or 14. The commitments required range from modest, one-time events to more extended projects. The payoff can be considerable. "It enriches kids' view of what the community is," Kennedy says. The experience can also help teens get letters of recommendation and work experience that can lead to that golden dream of teen years: a paid job. Camp options You might figure that all the day and overnight camp options are long gone, but the chance of finding a last-minute spot is better than ever, according to Ann Woods, a spokeswoman for the American Camp Association, which accredits camps. "I think there is some hope," Woods says. "There are a lot of new camps that are springing up." To find a camp your kid will enjoy, the best place to start is close to home. "Ask your neighbors; that's probably the best reference," Woods says. At Sacramento State, there are many day camps available. In the Peak Adventures camps, there were spots still available by the end of June for dates throughout the summer. "If someone calls the week before and we have space, we'll definitely enroll them," says Pamela Mendoza, a program specialist with Peak Adventures. A little boredom won't hurt Marcy Axness, an early-development expert and parenting counselor in the Los Angeles area, says a little boredom can go a long way toward helping kids develop inner resources to amuse themselves. "I think that for the young and the school-age child, constructive boredom is a kind of learning," she says. "It gives them an opportunity to flex their own creative initiative." She used to keep a list of 40 possible things to do in her daughter's room for anytime she felt bored. The list included writing a story, composing a song, doing an art project and even reorganizing the Tupperware cabinet. Her daughter, now 15, sometimes responds to the list in the usual teenage manner: "There's very often the rolling of the eyes, but then it's followed up by, half an hour later, she's involved in making some collage." Colleen Slavin, 16, of El Dorado Hills says she learned how to ban boredom during a long, dull summer a couple of years ago. "I remember sitting around bored out of my mind and watching reruns; I pledged never to do that again," she says. "Now I sign myself up for summer school, plays, singing, dancing classes, most of the stuff I can't do during school." This summer, she has no time for ennui, with frequent rehearsals for a production of "42nd Street" with El Dorado Musical Theatre. She's also taking an SAT prep class. She says parents might as well let their kids learn the hard, boring way that she did. "I think parents should let kids get bored, because then they'll make their own plans," she says. Keep summer safe Guidelines from the National Crime Prevention Council include the following tips for kids who are home alone. You can find the tips on the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Web site at www.sacsheriff.com; click on the "crime prevention" tab, where you'll find "At Home Alone: A Parent's Guide" and other advice on keeping kids safe. • When kids get home from an activity, have them check in with you or some other adult. • Make sure kids know their address, how to call 911 and how to give directions home. A few rules: • Never let anyone into the house without a parent's permission. • Don't let strangers know an adult is not home. Simply say something like, "Dad can't come to the door (or phone) right now." • Carry a house key safely (and don't leave it under the mat). • Don't go into the house if you see something odd such as an open door or a broken window. http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifest...15085368c.html == "You have enemies? Good! That means you've stood up for something in your life." -- Winston Churchill _________________________________________ Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server More than 140,000 groups Unlimited download http://www.usenetzone.com to open account |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
misc.kids FAQ on Good things about having kids | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 0 | December 19th 05 05:35 AM |
misc.kids FAQ on Good things about having kids | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 0 | August 30th 05 05:25 AM |
misc.kids FAQ on Good things about having kids | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 0 | May 30th 05 05:28 AM |
misc.kids FAQ on Good things about having kids | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 0 | November 28th 04 05:16 AM |
| U.N. rules Canada should ban spanking | Kane | Spanking | 142 | November 16th 03 07:46 PM |