Today is the last day of this school year for my Lexington, Kentucky grandchildren. I chatted with the youngest one on her way to school this morning and she was so happy! My Massachusetts grandson has several more weeks, but has a shorter summer break and longer breaks other times of the year. I forget when the Florida and New Jersey grandchildren are finished. And the youngest in Washington is too young for even pre-school yet.
This brings back very happy memories of when my own children were young and at home for the summer. For the first few weeks, life was heavenly! They went from one activity to another, gleefully. Their friends came to visit and they went to friends' homes. Barbie dolls were everywhere, inside, outside, in their apartments, and in the backyard wading pool. Once a week, we neighborhood mothers would take picnic lunches and our children to a different local park with a playground. Once a week, we piled into the car for a trip to the library to borrow the maximum number of books allowed for each child. (Usually there was a bit of last-minute drama trying to locate the last book to return!)
After about a month of bliss, the daily whining would begin: "What can I do, Mom?" I would make suggestions but heard, "What can I do, Mom?" about a hundred times a day, or so it seemed. Born out of desperation, I birthed two ideas that saved my sanity.
Idea #1: The Summer Fun Chart. I bought an ordinary white poster board, assembled markers and children around the kitchen table. We brainstormed and listed every activity they had ever done and those they wanted to do. We wrote "Summer Fun" at the top in big letters. There were plenty of categories: Arts & Crafts, Sports, Going Places, Books, Christmas, Church, Friends, Birthdays, Cooking, etc. For example, under "Christmas," listed were 1) make wish list looking through Christmas toy catalogs, 2) make Christmas presents, 3) make Christmas decorations. Under "Sports," listed would be 1) ride bicycle, 2) take a walk, 3) swimming in backyard (this was a daily fun time), 4) softball or football with neighbors. They loved "Arts & Crafts" the most, and I made sure we always had plenty of supplies, the watercolor paint and brushes, tons of crayons, chalk, paper of different kinds, pencils, coloring books, scissors, glue, idea books, etc. Most things on the chart were no cost or low cost.
After the first year of posting this in the summer, we would create a Summer Fun Chart several weeks before the end of school. Then they hit the ground running the first day.
This worked beautifully until August 1st. Invariably, every year around that time, the children had used up summer, were bored, and got crabby. They were saturated with fun! The fun chart was not consulted. Instead of asking mom, "What can I do?" They dared to whine, "Mom, I'm bored."
This new development sparked Idea #2: work! They were smart children and caught on very quickly. When they came to me and whined, "I'm bored. What can I do?", I got a sparkle in my eyes and told them, "I LOVE bored children! I have plenty of jobs to do. Go get a rag and scrub the fingerprints off the hall walls (or something else involving work)." Then they would retort, "Oh, no, I'm not bored!" and find something to occupy their time.
August was a quieter time. They started thinking about and looking forward to the start of school. And so did I! That Yellow School Bus couldn't come soon enough!
I highly recommend relationships with children, your own or a neighbors' or relative's child. They are so full of joy! It can't help but rub off on all but the most hopeless grinch! Give it a try. Put your whole heart into it. You will be rewarded beyond your fondest expectations!
Dear Lord, these days we hear so much about what problems children are, how costly they are to raise, it seems very discouraging. Help us promote what fun they are, how fulfilling it especially is to raise them to adulthood and watch them deal with their own problems and watch them blossom! Adult children really can be a Supreme Blessing!
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