“Catch your child being good,” the experts all say. “Tell them when they did something well.”

Great advice. But how often do we as parents catch ourselves being good? And how often do we actually take time to savor a good moment between us and our not-always adorable children?

It’s hard to remember, to be honest, especially when your child acts out, is defiant, won’t do chores, or yells at you in front of your summer guests as your ferry boat docks on the most populated island in Maine. (Check, check, check, and check.)

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Despite my best intentions to simplify the summer calendar, my daughter asks me, “When are we going to get to sleep in late?” My parent blog for EP at the end of the school year proclaimed that I was going to do things differently this year and let my kids run and be kids and have fun this summer. I promised to have a relaxing summer, a calm time free from schedules and full of green grass and outdoor time.

I have some confessions…er, I mean comments, on how it is really going. Let me set the scene for you:

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The call came early; the voice on the other end of the line was frantic.

“My kids are making me crazy,” my sister said.  “How am I supposed to get any work done with their constant fighting, yelling and arguing?”

I listened and shared stories of my own kids: backtalk, whining, complaining, and in-fighting.

Ahhhh, summer.

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So I’m writing out the checks like they are going out of style. Summer piano lessons, summer swim lessons, summer tennis lessons, summer art class, summer drama club, summer soccer camp.  I’m justifying all this layout of cash by promising myself that I appreciate the opportunities that this  area offers and that this is a great time to introduce the kids to things they can try and maybe learn to love for a lifetime.

Right?

Who am I kidding? This is summer vacation, isn’t it? Who really gets the vacation if I’m still on a schedule and if I’m spending these glorious hot summer days, sweltering in some parking lot waiting to shuttle my kids to the next fun scheduled activity?

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Is your teen all fired up about getting a job this summer? While working part-time can be a really positive experience for a teenager, there are a number of real considerations parents need to make when the subject comes up.

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Has anyone out there ever sent their teen to a boot camp, and if so, was it a good experience for your child? I’ve heard good and bad things over the years, myself. My friend’s son had a great experience at wilderness camp, and really turned his life around. Another friend’s teen-age son also had an incredible experience at a similar type of camp, but in his case the life-changing part only lasted about 2 weeks, according to my friend, when he reverted to his old ways once home. So far I haven’t personally known anyone who has been injured or hurt at camp, but I’m curious to hear if any of you have. Read more »

Summer is that time every kid looks forward to. It is the “light at end of the tunnel” of a long school year. It is a time to “let loose” and have a great time. But for kids with ADHD this is a big change, and not always a positive one. The day-to-day structure goes away, the daily routine is gone. In just a few days or weeks, this long-anticipated break can become a potential nightmare for ADHD kids and their parents. Because fairly soon, these kids are going around whining and saying, “I’m bored.” They come in complaining about an argument with peers or they make a game of tormenting their siblings.

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