Now is mom’s challenging time
By Staff
Michelle Blaylock, Mom’s Corner
It’s that time of year again. “What ‘time’ would that be?” you ask. It’s summer vacation time. I love this time of year. I didn’t always. There have been times that I truly felt my kids were singing the “Hallelujah Chorus” and I was stuck with “My Soul In Sad Exile.”
I found several tricks that make our summers much more enjoyable. In the first place I try to plan things like menus, outings, crafts and other activities. I give the children plenty of “free time” for watching TV, playing outside, etc. However, it is tempered with work time and planned creative outlets such as crafts.
I must confess this plan came about the summer I looked out my back window in Kentucky and saw my kids with one of the neighbor’s kids playing “Oregon Trail.” They had hitched the neighbors trailer to our lawn mower and then loaded the trailer with things like the play kitchen, a pop-up tent, food, blankets, stuffed animals, and just about anything else they could think of. Next they had added the younger children and were going around our rather hilly yard pretending it was the Oregon Trail. OK, it was rather creative. Unfortunately, it was also a bit dangerous.
Although keeping children entertained during the summer can sometimes be a bit challenging, I think one of the hardest parts is keeping everyone fed. It seems they want to eat nonstop. I decided part of this is due to boredom, so keeping them busy helps. I also found if I have a planned menu the kids are more willing to wait to eat than constantly be trying to raid the fridge.
The other thing I decided was that academic skills needed to be included during summer. Studies show children can actually lose a grade level over the summer. The rule “use it or lose it” really applies. However, I knew if I tried to get everyone to sit down and actually do school work it would be like trying to walk through a brick wall, so I had to be sneaky. My plan became to include skills in everyday life as much as possible.
For example including “academic” skills in something like cooking is a snap. I was able to include writing (who wanted what to drink), following directions (both in setting the table and following a recipe), math (remember the recipe — gotta measure), science (why did that bread rise?), reading (there’s that recipe again).
Another great place to include academic skills is the (cringe) grocery store. First of all, take time to plan a menu with your kids; then have them make a list (with supervision of course) of what they need to buy and how much. It’s also fun to have them guess how much things will cost. We have to work within a budget so if we come up over, then they have to decide what they are going to do without.
So in the process of going to the store you have incorporated reading, writing, math, nutrition, money skills, life skills (budgeting), and forethought. If you used a calendar in your planning process, then you also included those skills.
Of course, as the children have gotten older. I’ve been able to give them more and more responsibility. The older children are often assigned specific days that they are responsible for coming up with menus (within our budget) and cooking. However, the rule is if you cook for the entire family, you don’t have to clean the kitchen. It’s a big chore to cook for a family of eight. I figure the ones who ate the food can at least help with the cleanup.
Although I love the summer there are a few things that do annoy me. The biggest one that will drive me nuts faster than anything else is arguing. Okay, I know it’s normal. I know that I don’t live in “Leave it to Beaver” land, but I still despise the arguing. I can tolerate some, but there comes a point where enough is enough. I finally adopted my mother’s rule for arguing. She would say, “If you have so much energy that you’re fighting then you must need to work some of it off. Let me find you a chore.” And she would! My siblings and I didn’t argue very often.
My mother also would have us do the things we hated the most. She wouldn’t give you a chore you didn’t mind. Oh, no! It was the one you hated! Well, I have to admit the plan has it’s merits and we use it frequently. I seriously cut down on the arguments last summer. We’ll see how this summer goes.
Overall, I recommend you take time to enjoy you’re children this summer. We only have until Aug. 9 before we start back to school. EWWW! If you have a question, tip, or suggestion for Mom’s Corner please e-mail it to: moms-corner@juno.com.
