Summertime- 3 Months of Growth or 1 Year of Failure

We want to start off by asking you a simple question: What are your kids doing this summer? We have all talked about our summer's growing up, and the prevalent thought was how we would spend most of that time when we were younger outside. What happened to kids going outside anymore? Nowadays kids spend most of their time indoors, with the explosion of technology it's rare for kids (especially older kids) to run and sweat it out outside playing. There are a few points we want to hit on that hopefully will help you and your children to have the best summer possible:

  1. Do everything in your power to make sure this is a time of growth for your children!
Your kids have off for the summer, that means at least 14 hour's of possible free time: What will they do with it? Get your kids involved in activities. Remember little league? What about soccer or swimming? There's so much to do, and these activities will burn some of that energy (way too much energy!) they have as well as keep them lean and fit. Think about what the alternative will do: playing video games and watching TV all day. These two things will bring that potbelly on pretty fast, as well as warp their mind and make them lazy. Get them involved in sports or a rec league or just let them go outside and go nuts. The weather is too beautiful right now for anyone to spend an extended amount of time indoors.  


  2. Watch what they do like a hawk!
Are your kids doing what they told you they are going to do? Who are they hanging out with? Is there any inappropriate boy/girl interactions going on? As their parent, you have to know what they are up to, do you remember what it's like to be their age? There are too many pitfalls that your children can fall through, especially the older kids. You have to know what they are doing, who they are doing it with, and where they are going to be at all times. It only takes one bad summer to ruin the rest of your child's life. Is that what you want for them? 

The reason we titled this post "Summertime- 3 Months of Growth or 1 Year of Failure" is because if they have a bad summer, it will follow them the rest of that year. If your kids are involved in activities, reading, writing, those things will sharpen their mind and tone them up physically. This can only help them at school. If they spend their whole summer with video games and TV, hanging out at the mall with deadbeats, this will hold them back once school starts again. Their minds won't be sharp or focused, they'll spend the whole first half of the school year trying to adjust. That can only lead to a downward spiral for the rest of the year. I guess if they get held back, that will give them a whole other year to focus on those video games!


Set your kids up for the best year they have ever had by keeping them active this summer. What other idea's do you have for a productive summer? You can leave your comments below: