Ask Auntie Artichoke

Hello from beautiful Montana:

Hello from beautiful Montana:

Summer is here and with it an overwhelming number of activities, play dates, summer camps and fun things to do. Also here are the plaintive cries of kids who say; "I'm bored, there is nothing to do."

The best ideas, as suggested by parents in my classes, are to organize the days and weeks of summer so that the activities are spread out and manageable by parents and children.

Here are 5 tips that will help make Summer smooth sailing and fun for everyone.

1. Require the kids to do chores and responsibilities before television is turned on, friends come over or they go to activities. Ten minutes of work before soccer practice takes ten minutes. After the soccer game and a friend comes home to play, hunger strikes and tiredness sets in, well you can guess how many minutes or hours it will take to get the chores done.
2. Have regular family meetings or planning sessions where the calender is filled out with activities and commitments, goals are set and agreements are made. You will be surprised how much will get done, when your thoughts aren't scattered and summer schedules are posted where everyone can see and remember.
3. Whenever possible, always give the kids a choice, even if the choice is small. For instance; do you want swimming or soccer classes this Summer? Do you want to pack your lunch before or after breakfast?  Would you rather have Tom or Evan over for lunch today?Do you want to go to the library story time or the museum make it day?
4. Make your child responsible for any equipment or paper that is involved in his activities. If he has gone swimming, it is his responsibility to  hang up his towel and swimsuit where he will find it tomorrow. If there are papers or forms to be signed or filled out, have one spot in the house where they belong and everyone knows about it and uses it.  Saves time, stress and sanity to count on what you need being where it is supposed to be.
5. Limit sleepovers.  I know, my kids loved them too. What I found, however, is that the kids stayed up too late, ate too much junk food, watched way too much television or movies and were really cranky the next day. A junior high school counselor told me one time that she would never allow her children to do sleep overs after her students told her all the dumb things they did when they were tired, under peer pressure and wanted to fit in.  Enough said.

Summer activities can be fun filled and memory laden, but they can also be stressful for both parents and children. The more organized your family is, the more relaxed you can be and the more fun you can have.

When you plan ahead, you will limit the stress and enlarge the fun.  Isn't that what Summer is all about?

In gratitude,

Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke

PS: Be sure to check out http://www.kidschoresandmore.com  for ideas on getting the kids to help at home.

Klein report
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Klein report
 - Listen (MP3)

President Barack Obama

With
the Fathers' Day holiday approaching in the United States, President
Barack Obama is honoring the nation's fathers. The so-called First Dad
is calling on many American men to work harder at fatherhood.

Sunday
is Fathers' Day in the United States, and President Obama is using the
occasion to encourage men across the country to take their parental
responsibilities more seriously.

Mr. Obama said Friday 23
percent of America's young people are without fathers, and that number
rises above 50 percent among African-Americans. He called on men to
rise up where their own fathers may fall short. "Children who grow up
without fathers are more likely to drop out of school and wind up in
prison. They are more likely to have substance abuse problems, run away
from home and become teenage parents themselves. And I say this as
someone who grew up without a father in my own life," he said.

Mr.
Obama's father returned to his native Kenya when the future president
was a small child living in Hawaii. He was raised by his mother and her
parents, and credits them with being a good influence on him.

At
a White House meeting on fatherhood Friday, the president urged dads to
step up and be more closely involved in their children's lives. "We
need fathers to understand that their work does not end with
conception-that what truly makes a man a father is the ability to raise
a child and invest in that child," he said.

Mr. Obama and his
wife Michelle have two daughters, ten-year-old Malia and seven-year-old
Sasha. And he admits that like other fathers, his work has often taken
him away from his family. "There have been days when the demands of
work have taken me from my duties as a father and I have missed some
moments in my daughters' lives that I will never get back. So I have
been far from perfect. But in the end, it is not about being perfect.
It is not always about succeeding, but it is about always trying," he
said.

Despite the hard work of parenthood, the president says
the joys of being a father are immeasurable. "There is nothing that you
would not do for them, in a heartbeat. And that bond between a parent
and a child is something that is precious. It is sacred. And it is a
true blessing," he said.

The president issued a proclamation for Fathers' Day, encouraging community involvement to help men to be better fathers.

Hello from beautiful Montana:

Hello from beautiful Montana:

Today we had a brunch with a group of friends. Most were middle aged and very talented, but stressed with worries about relationships, money and health- the major concerns of most people. They were also anxious because of the economy and fearful of losing their jobs and retirement savings.

Hello from beautiful Montana: