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Summer media survival tips for parents

When I was a kid, my main form of media consumption was books. I used to go to the library and check out four or five Hardy Boys books at a time. I don’t know why I never got into Nancy Drew (I am a girl, after all), but I think it’s the fact that Frank and Joe Hardy had access to a speedboat! That’s neither here nor there, but once home, I snuggled into the loveseat in the living room and would read for hours. Finishing the books I borrowed, I was back to the library in less than two weeks. Ensconced on the couch during the summer months but oblivious to the sunshine outside, my mom would tell me, “Get your nose out of a book, go outside and do something constructive!”

I was usually hesitant to put down my book, but once I did, I loved helping Mom in the garden, throwing a frisbee with Dad, going to the school grounds around the corner and playing tennis with my brother or walking the 15 minutes it took us to get to our grandparents’ homes.

Parents today may have to give the same admonition to their kids, but it probably goes something like this: “Get your eyes off your phone (or gaming console), go outside and do something constructive!”

In our technology-obsessed world, it’s a challenge for adults to find a good balance between tech-based activities and other stuff. It’s even more difficult for kids whose devices seem to be grafted onto their arms. During the summer months, without school to fill up their kid’s time, parents may find themselves in the same situation my mother found herself in with me. You may ask, “How do I entice my child to put down the device and do something unplugged?”

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with technology-based activities, such as gaming, scrolling through one’s social media feed or even going to the movies. The key word is balance. During the upcoming summer vacation, if you notice your child glued to a screen, here are a few suggestions.

However you decide to keep your kids busy during the summer months, remember that this time is a gift, a golden opportunity to develop your relationship with them. Let conversation about anything and everything in the family be the default and not an afterthought. Give the kids time with their devices but also make sure they have the opportunity to make real world connections with other people and with the Lord.

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