5 Ways to more-than-survive Summer with your son

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Barely a month into summer - are you already in survival mode?Have you scheduled (and–gulp-paid for) a gazillion camps?Trips to grandparents?Trades with friends?… just so you can survive all those endless hours of ‘unscheduled’ time?Want to turn Survive into THRIVE?Boys (and girls) want (and need) active, physical, exciting adventures.BUT they’ll also savor the downtime if you make it part of the activities, too.1. READ and READ SOME MORE. Read out loud, read upside down, read outside, read early, read late. Show (and tell) him the many ways he is already reading – cereal boxes, instruction sheets, billboards. Part of reading is writing – have him make lists, categories, maps and charts. See Getting Boys to Read by my friend Mike McQueen for easy and effective ideas for engaging him.2. SERVICE. Look around – who could use a helping hand? Water plants, pull weeds, take out recycling. This ‘early employment’ gives him feedback that isn’t from you so he can build his internal system of rewards. It is high on satisfaction and low on money and material rewards – and that’s a good thing!3. PASSION. Guide him to his passion. He may not recognize it until you point out how one interest connects to another. Don’t be too teachy or preachy though. Provide the opportunity and let him do some self-discovery – you provide the fertile ground and let him explore. Reading Rainbow does this so well!4. NATURE and NATURE SOME MORE. Nature is the anecdote for stress and over-scheduled lives (yours and his). Schedule it, if you have to. Plan a whole day to be outside – doing everything outside – cooking, eating, sleeping. Have you heard of Forest Kindergartens? Do you have one in your area?5. BOREDOM. Celebrate it and provide lots of space, raw materials, and time. Its hard to create when you’ve got to be at baseball in 30 minutes. A friend prepared tons of entertainment for her 2 boys for their summer 4-week road trip. At 1200 miles in, the bag hadn’t been opened. The boys were completely enthralled with hotel note pads and pens (plus a few books).Okay…one more…for you…6. SAVOR IT TOGETHER! Schedule it, if you need to. Be daring and leave your phone at HOME. Notice how different it feels to be completely untethered (remember that feeling??) Even if it is turned off but in your pocket, your backpack, or your car, you’ll be tempted to check it. “Oh he won’t notice.” Trust me, he will.Be fully there for him.Be fully there for yourself.THRIVE.It’s so much better than Survive!Janet Allison is an Educator, Author, Family Coach and Founder of Boys Alive! She works with parents and teachers locally and nationally, interpreting gender differences and helping create action plans for positive change. She certifies Parent Coaches in Boys Alive! so they can spread the word, too! Contact Janet at janet@boysalive.com

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