Mom, I'm Bored!

They're back! Now that school's out, parents all across the land are sure to hear those words, "Mom (or Dad), I'm bored!" If you're a parent who is blessed with the opportunity to spend the summer with your children, but stressed by their need for constant stimulation, here are some tips to combat the summer doldrums.

1. Make a calendar with your child. Include all the trips and special events. This will help your child not only conceptualize the time ahead of them, but it also teaches a valuable lesson about planning ahead.

2. If your child says he or she is bored, sit down and talk about what boredom means for them. It could be that they've lost interest in their activities, or that they're unwittingly using boredom as a substitute word for feelings like anger, frustration or hurt.

3. Try to avoid having all the answers. Your job is to provide the environment for a wonderful summer, not to plan it out for your child.

4. Have plenty of art supplies, games, and reading materials on hand.

5. Get your kids outdoors. Encourage them to play with other children and be physically active.

6. Eliminate or limit TV, computer and video game time. Too much time with any of these will turn your child into the kind of "summer vegetable" you don't want.

7. Let your child have down time. They don't have to be busy every minute. Summer break offers a wonderful opportunity for children to practice being alone with their thoughts and feelings.

8. Summer is a wonderful time for parents and children to work on projects together, like planting a garden or building a model.

9. Have your child plan a family outing or a dinner. This is not only a productive use of their time, but one which will offer them a chance to take responsibility and feel the pride of accomplishment.

10. Encourage your child to begin their own collection of things that interest them. These could be rocks, shells, baseball cards, comic books, almost anything.

11. Last but hardly least, encourage your child to develop close friendships over the summer. Nothing is better than a summer shared together!

Here's to a superb summer for all, parents and children alike!

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