Summer is the season of a great selection of delicious fresh fruit, long sunny days and kids being out of school. As much as it is fun, it's also challenging, since the kids have more energy now that they are not spending time in classes and practice, so you need to stick to a good plan that will keep the kids busy and prevent you from going crazy over this summer.
Big part of a well planned summer week is having a schedule for waking up and going to bed. Sure the kids don't have to get up as early as you do or at the same time they would during school year, but letting them sleep until noon will cause some issues in the evening, so unless you want them wander about the house until midnight, make sure your kids are up just in time for a great breakfast. And speaking of sleep, try not to let them nap during the day too much, so avoid tryptophan rich foods at lunch, yet don't be afraid of stimulating melatonin production at dinner, thus helping your kids stick to a healthy sleep pattern.
Kids who sleep well through the night have plenty of energy during the day, so if you have tings to take care of, you might be a bit overwhelmed with it. One of the great solutions is to find some kind of day camp for your child to attend, not only giving you part of the day to do what needs to be done, but most importantly providing your child with new friendships, skills and entertainment, making summer in the city much more fun. If there are no day camps in your area, you might want to contact some of your child's friends and especially their parents to possibly figure out a system in which one or two parents would take care of the group of kids for the day giving the other parents time for themselves. Obviously switching around would be imperative for everybody to be satisfied with this system.
TV and computer games are what kids love, and during the summer months they feel like watching favorite shows or playing newest games is mandatory. If you'd rather your child didn't spend all days glued to the screen, you need to try and plan out some activities like trip to the water park, putting together a tree house or remodeling your kid's room to their liking. These plans will require a bigger time involvement from you, but will move your child off the couch for days, making it worth it. After all you can plan your responsibilities accordingly, shifting them to the evenings or weekends, or for the days your child is at a friend's house.
A summer in the city can be long for both the kids and their parents, and it can lead to anxiety, irritation or unpleasant silence in your house, so make sure you do your best to avoid it by planning some fun keeping your child's suggestions in mind, involving other parents and family in support system, eating healthy since vitamins, calcium, melatonin and other nutrients and minerals influence mood, and just taking it easy. After all it's vacation time, so if you have to postpone a project to spend the day at the pool, so be it.
I am a web designer, a passionate writer and a healthy lifestyle enthusiast. I write articles about diet supplements like melatonin or vitamin B12 and about healthy food.