5 Ways to Thrive With Your Son This Summer

How are you feeling about summer?
It's here. Are you already in survival mode?
Have you scheduled (and gulp - paid for) a gazillion camps, trips, and trades with friends just so you can manage (and survive) all those endless hours of unscheduled time?
These tips fit any budget and every schedule whether you're a stay-at-home or working parent.
Ready to turn survive into THRIVE?
Boys yearn for active, exciting adventures that have some risk and physical challenge thrown in. Remember to include some downtime, too, and you'll be thriving in no time!

1. Embrace BOREDOM. Schedule it, if you have to - it's hard to get into creativity mode when you've got to be at baseball in 30 minutes. Welcome boredom by providing plenty of space, time, and raw materials for surprising results. A mom friend prepared tons of entertainment for their 4-week summer road trip only to be trumped by the hotel note pads and pens. At 1200 miles in, her bag still hadn't been opened.


2. Discover SERVICE. Look around - who could use a helping hand? Water plants, pull weeds, take out the recycling. Whether voluntary or paid, this early employment gives him feedback that doesn't come from you, which will serve him well when he does have a real job.


3. Unleash PASSION. Help him see what he is passionate about. He may not recognize how one interest connects to another until you point it out. Provide opportunities for self-discovery. With fertile ground and your encouragement, he'll be adventuring into new territory. Reading Rainbow is an excellent example of taking a deep dive into his interests. For older boys, check out the Library of Congress catalog.


4. Explore NATURE. Nature is the anecdote for too much screen time, stress, and over-scheduled lives (both yours and his). Schedule it, if you have to. Plan an entire day for everything - cooking, eating, reading, and sleeping.


5. 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. The book, Getting Boys to Read by Mike McQueen, is filled with easy and effective ways to engage your boy's literacy skills.

One more bonus... for you:
SAVOR IT TOGETHER! Again, schedule it, if you have to. Be daring and leave your phone at HOME. Notice how differently it feels to be fully untethered from your phone without even the temptation to check it. Sure, it's a camera but what if you simply enjoyed the moment without having to record it?
Be fully there for him.
Be fully there for yourself.
Thrive.
It's so much better than survive!

Janet Allison is on a mission to help parents and teachers understand how boys learn, communicate, and socialize differently. She is the founder of Boys Alive!, a Family Coach, an educator, and author of Boys Alive! Bring Out Their Best. Her self-paced online study guide, Understanding Your Son 101, provides practical, actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately. Find out more about Janet at http://www.BoysAlive.com.

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