Summer joys

My children are having the time of their lives because school is finally done. They’re on their vacation, and that means no waking up early, no assignments and – their favorite part – being able to stay up late. That means, too, that I stay up late (he! he! he!).

Being on vacation from school has its advantages, but also its disadvantages. The kids get bored from just staying home. More often than not, they won’t go out and do something. That’s okay, kaya lang magastos din! But you can’t go to the mall everyday. That’s ridiculous! We as parents have to think of other ways to occupy our kids’ time.

Spend more time with your kids now that they’re out of school. Stay up late with them, watch their favorite TV show with them. Now is the time you can be more available to them because they’ll be more at home.

My younger daughter Arabella wants to take up gymnastics and also attend art class. She loves creating things from anything and everything. She is very creative and so I will enroll her for a couple of weeks.

My older daughter Rikki Mae still doesn’t know what to do this summer. She says she just wants to read more books. Oh, how she loves to read! She also wants to have more time to bond with her friends.

My eldest, Kenneth, wants to workout in the gym and I already enrolled him. It’s a new gym along West Avenue called Body Works. Check it out! I have done a lot of episodes there for my segment in Unang Hirit. They are offering a lot of group classes for this summer. They have punch bag exercises, spin classes which are done riding a bike. You can either follow an instructor or watch TV. It’s like you’re climbing hills or mountains and you proceed at different intensities, depending on what will be asked of you. This is such a good workout.

They will also offer exercises with the gym ball. I have started to do this with my trainer and it is great! There’s no need for machines or weights. You use your own body weight with the ball. I am enjoying it tremendously because I am getting stronger in another way, using muscles I haven’t used before.

There is so much you can do so that the summer vacation will be fruitful for you and your children. Find out what they are interested in doing and look for places where they can engage in these activities.

Ask for the summer programs of the school where your children go to. I’m sure they will have a lot of activities you will be able to choose from.

Now if your budget is tight and you don’t want to spend, you can do a lot of things in your own home. Think of things you’re not able to do so much during school days. For example, there are a lot of board games that are interesting.

There can be a day when you can ask your kids to look through their stuff, and they might find something that they’ve kept which they can spend time on now. It can be a book they haven’t finished reading or a toy they’ve put away.

It can also be a time to sort out old and unused things that can be given away. That would also teach them to share what they have and realize they are luckier than others. You can make it a fun experience for them and a learning one, too.

SM malls always have booths that accept old books. I have given some of my children’s used books.

You can also go swimming since it’s so hot. Now, if you have those inflatable pools, you can fill them up and have a nice splash with your kids. To save water, just cover the pool with something so you can still use it the next day. Or you can use it for watering the plants.

Have a day when you can give your kids simple chores. Work together and bond at the same time. End the day by cooking their favorite meal or ordering their favorite food. Be creative!

Have the kids invite their friends at home so they can hang out or relatives they don’t get to spend so much time with because of school. You can allow them to have sleepovers if you want. That would be so much fun for them.

There is so much you can do this summer. The choice is yours.

If you ask me if I would enroll my children in any activity, I would just make sure that the schedule would not be overwhelming. Two to three times a week, a couple of hours would be fine. I wouldn’t also want them to do just that. I also want to give them their space, their time for themselves to do anything they want. Sometimes there will be days they just want to relax at home and that’s okay.

When my kids tell me they are bored, I tell them it’s okay to be bored sometimes. To just do anything, to just be. Sometimes boredom pushes one to find something to do. Creativity can begin there.

There always has to be a balance. Not too little, not too much. Enjoy this summer with your family. Explore! Be creative! Have fun!

* * *

E-mail me at: babyjackster@yahoo.com