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Summer Parenting Tip

June 26th, 2009

Now that summer is here, just thought I’d share a parenting that has really helped me:  communicate with your child’s friends’ parents often and openly.  My son is now 11 years old.  He has a lot of free time on his hands as summer should be.  I like him to be playing outdoors, meeting up with friends, and biking around the neighborhood.  But there are conflicts that have come up because his friends have a bit more freedom than he has. For example, he is not allowed to cross over major boulevards or go to local stores.  He is pretty much restricted to our neighborhood.  Also, my son must notify me when he reaches a friend’s house so I always know where he is. 

I have tackled the conflict in a couple of ways.  First, my husband and I have sat our son down and explained our rules.  We make them for his safety.  If his friends want to do something that he is not allowed to do, he has to have the strength to say, “Sorry, I can’t do that.”  And, he may be left out.

Second, I have talked with his very close friends’ moms, and I have explained my concerns.  I’m sure some will agree and some won’t, but I think he will hopefully have a good friend that would hang with him if his other friends do an activity he is not allowed to do.  I feel this team parenting really helps to keep parents connected and makes the rules more consistant for our children. 

We are only in the second full week of summer, and I hope that we have tackled some of the issues and smoothed the way for a fun and safe summer.

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