So its summer and things have been going great so far, but we are headed into the second half of summer and school. As parents we want the summer to end with a positive note and our kids to dive into school ready to rock and roll!
As my kids would say "in your dreams dreams mom". In reality it was always tough to say goodbye to summer, no pressure, no homework , tests and relatively few car pools. The truth in my house although there were days I wanted school to start just because that day my kids were getting in my hair, is that we really did not want the summer to end. So, I started to talk with my kids about what we need to do to transition into the school and bring summer to a happy end.
We would go out to lunch and/or dinner, just the family and discuss one or two topics a meal. (No friends invited for these meals.) Now the discussions vary depending on the age of your children and parents should have spoken together ahead of time so they are on the same page
1. Everyone has a voice
2. All ideas, opinions and suggestions are respected
3. Identify musts or no negotiables, then identify the things that can be negotiated or modified
4. Everyone takes turns and listens to each other
5. All electronics are off during these times
These five rules seem to be all you need to get started. Its important that everyone knows the rules and topic(s) to be discussed.
Some discussion items for when school starts:
Bedtime
Completing summer homework if given before school starts so it is ready to hand in.
For older children what time they need to be home on school days and weekends.
How homework is getting done when school starts and activities pick up.
Friends, who can be over and what kind of supervision IE parent or adult needs to present etc
Rules for parties
Rules for change of plans
The list above is endless so create one of your own tailored to your family and let the negoitiations and discussions begin, never too soon to start.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
As my kids would say "in your dreams dreams mom". In reality it was always tough to say goodbye to summer, no pressure, no homework , tests and relatively few car pools. The truth in my house although there were days I wanted school to start just because that day my kids were getting in my hair, is that we really did not want the summer to end. So, I started to talk with my kids about what we need to do to transition into the school and bring summer to a happy end.
We would go out to lunch and/or dinner, just the family and discuss one or two topics a meal. (No friends invited for these meals.) Now the discussions vary depending on the age of your children and parents should have spoken together ahead of time so they are on the same page
1. Everyone has a voice
2. All ideas, opinions and suggestions are respected
3. Identify musts or no negotiables, then identify the things that can be negotiated or modified
4. Everyone takes turns and listens to each other
5. All electronics are off during these times
These five rules seem to be all you need to get started. Its important that everyone knows the rules and topic(s) to be discussed.
Some discussion items for when school starts:
Bedtime
Completing summer homework if given before school starts so it is ready to hand in.
For older children what time they need to be home on school days and weekends.
How homework is getting done when school starts and activities pick up.
Friends, who can be over and what kind of supervision IE parent or adult needs to present etc
Rules for parties
Rules for change of plans
The list above is endless so create one of your own tailored to your family and let the negoitiations and discussions begin, never too soon to start.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!