Boring Burbs
Suburbs may appear to be a ready made community for families, but some critics say when many suburbs were designed they left one group out of the consideration – early teens. Often teens find suburbs as barren and boring as a desert island. There's no gathering place, no community, and no place to go.
Kids without a community often create their own. With no place to go they have little choice but to migrate to the malls and hang out at places like video arcades. Brian, age 15 says, "People hang out where they’re not supposed to be and that's pretty much why, because there's not a whole lot of places to go."
At other times groups will hang out closer to home, but in these synthetic neighborhoods kids often find trouble. “They'll just like call the police over and kick us out, they won't let us stay anywhere,” says 12 year old Steven.
Experts say in the nineties suburban parents have to create community for their kids by bonding together, networking with other parents and making sure kids have something to do. Parents should also rely on each other to keep tabs on teens and make sure they stay occupied.
What Parents Should Know
Keeping kids busy and entertained is always a challenge for parents and care givers. When school is out and summer is at hand the challenge is even greater. It’s important to involve kids in things that will keep them occupied and interested or else you’ll be pained with what might seem to be a never ending echo of “I’m bored.”
By taking some time to do a little “homework” there are lots of things that can be done to keep kids from being bored during their summer vacations. Projectknow.com lists on their web site 101 activities for kids to do. The list is broken down into categories:
- Sports/Games/Activities
- Volunteerism
- Entrepreneurship
- Education/Classes
- Crafts, and
- Other
Most of the activities listed include some element of learning so that kids are not just entertained or involved in frivolous play. Here are some of their suggestions: a neighborhood Olympics; helping elderly neighbors with household tasks; growing a garden; making snacks and treats such as homemade ice cream and cookies. And one excellent idea to tie it all together is the creation of a scrapbook highlighting all of the fun things that they have done.
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“They’ll just like call the police over and kick us out, they won’t let us stay anywhere.” --Steven, Age 12 |
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Summer Reading School
is out but that doesn’t mean that kids should take a break from
the books. Reading is one of the best things that a child can do
during the summer, especially for younger kids who are just learning.
It is a good idea to take regular trips to the library and bookstore,
and to discuss with them the things that they read. It will not
only help to keep them occupied, but when school starts again they
won’t be out of practice.
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Bored
Is Not Most have heard the adage that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” But, an idle mind can also be the basis for brilliance. This time of ‘nothing to do’ can be an excellent opportunity for young people to think and absorb information from their environment that is ordinarily over looked. A child, for example, may begin to take notice of everyday objects and wonder how they came into existence. This observation may in turn give him or her an idea for an invention or just new regard for something that might otherwise seem mundane Boredom can be the catalyst for creativity. Parents need to nurture the positive side of down time and encourage children to think, explore and broaden their horizons. The results may surprise you! |
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Resources
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more information on parenting issues contact us: Connecting with Kids |
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