As our children grow up, there are certain boundaries that
naturally loosen as they become more mature and
independent. When - and - if these boundaries ease up, all
depends on how responsible each individual child is. When
that point comes, your child's peers will seem to dominate
their world more than you.
There is a way for you to still guide your child without
dominating them. That way is to make your home the center
of their activities. By doing this you will learn who your child's
friends are, how they act around one another and most
importantly: what they are doing. Make your home inviting to
your children's friends. Encourage your child to invite them to
activities. Some ideas of things they could do in your home are:
* watch movies (enabling you to oversee content)
* have BBQ's (kids can bring their own meat to lesson costs)
* swimming parties ( if you own a pool or are in a community with
access to one)
* watch sports - basketball, Olympics, Super-Bowl, World Series,
etc.
* have dances (furniture can be pushed aside for a few hours)
* study groups (it can make homework more fun as long as it IS
being done!)
* holidays - N. Year's Eve, Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc.
* dinners - (how about sharing your family dinner with a friend once
in awhile?)
Be available not only to welcome your child's peers in your home,
but to get to know their parents as well.
The price to pay for a fuller and noiser house, sometimes, is well
worth the knowledge and tools it will equip you with in guiding your
growing child into a safe and trustworthy adult.
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About The Author
Dionna Sanchez works on creating an activity-centered home for
her 3 children in Boise, ID. She is Editor of Emphasis On Moms at
http://www.EmphasisOnMoms.com
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