A Backyard Picnic Lunch
Summer is coming to an end for us with school starting tomorrow. It is so hard to believe it is over when I still have so many summer outdoor ideas to share! While I wrap up this summer series today, I will continue to share tips for parenting in the digital age through the next season.
So many ideas I have posted for outside activities are just that: activities. Today I want to remind moms to be sure your child gets some very needed down time each day. Down time doesn’t include media. Media does not count for that very important childhood necessity of learning how to be alone with yourself, your thoughts and your feelings. TV, computers, video games and cell phones are all very stimulating to your child’s brain. Your child needs quiet. He needs peace. He needs solitude. He needs to learn how to do nothing and be comfortable doing it.
Many homes have a constant supply of background noise with a TV on all day, phones buzzing, radios blaring and games beeping. Take time today to spread a blanket out in the backyard, pack an easy lunch and send your kids out to do absolutely nothing! Being alone and noiseless is not an easy task in this digital age. Try it as you kiss the final days of summer goodbye. Practicing doing nothing is a very difficult task, but it will do everyone in your home, including Mom and Dad, a world of good : ) Good luck!!