“I’m bored!” “It’s boring at home!” “There’s nothing to do!” It’s summer break and many stay-at-home parents are hounded by statements such as these, over, and OVER again. If kids don’t have things to do or places to go during the summer you can be sure that these whiny, annoying statements will plague you too. Here’s what I do to make sure I’m not one of those accosted mothers: I throw my kids into sports and whatever other activities or classes are being offered that I think they’ll enjoy, and in between we hit the pools, beaches, resorts, movie theaters, and indoor playgrounds.
It’s week four of summer break and already we have been to Okuma Beach Resort, spent many days swimming at various pools and beaches, gone bowling, seen two movies, and visited Mona Kids indoor playground. Add to that our current schedule which includes summer school and swimming lessons for my youngest daughter Jade, and tennis and volleyball for my oldest daughter Chantal, and there really isn’t much room left for complaining. I admit, I still get the odd “I’m bored” from both girls, but for the most part they are too worn out to recognize their boredom during those few occasions when we are sitting at home with no agenda for the day.
Swimming lessons
Tennis lessons
Now, if the truth be known I can’t honestly say that I enjoy driving my kids from place to place, or sitting in uncomfortably hot weather while waiting for swimming or tennis lessons to be hurried up and done with, but it beats having rebounding arguments with a five year old who doesn’t seem to know what the word “quit” means. Trust me, if you’ve been enduring the whininess because you feel like you just don’t have the energy or desire to drive around all day, I would highly recommend you at least give it a go. I think you’ll find that the absence of “little-people-nagging” will instill in you that burst of energy you thought you didn’t have.
And you can think of it in terms of aging: do you want to age quickly, or slowly? My guess is that you chose the latter, and if you did, then keeping your kids at home with you all day is NOT an option. Just remember that kids whining in your ear all day equals a rapid rise in heart rate as you try (usually unsuccessfully) to remain calm and reasonable. Following the rise in heart rate, when your veins are ready to burst and you can no longer contain your frustration, is the highly dysfunctional moment of insanity where you throw your hands about and scream all kinds of inappropriate verbs and nouns. And THAT, is a sure fire way to age quickly!
On the other hand, if you accept the inconveniences of driving and waiting around all day, you get to enjoy a reasonably stress-free day. The kids don’t seem to argue as much as they’re too busy expending energy, and in turn you reserve a little more of your own energy by not having to tear them apart and yell at them; the whininess significantly decreases and instead of endless mind-losing moments, there are actually moments of hugging and laughing; and, you even get to read those books you’ve been wanting to read but which you gave up on because of the frequent interruptions or lack of time. All of these factors are undeniably better for your health than those noted above, but perhaps even more important than your own health is the health of your children, and who can argue that keeping them active in sports and other activities is not good for them. On the contrary, it is good for them, and the best part of all, it makes them tired!
Exhausted after summer school and swimming lessons