How to Keep Kids Sane

This is a question that many parents are asking around the world this summer. Corona is still raging more or less everywhere, but especially in the US. This means that summer activities are pretty much all gone – swim teams, parks, summer camps, sleepovers, pool parties, and whatever else you usually do in summer. Travel is a distant memory. Sure, if you live in southern states, you can drive to Florida and visit one of its overcrowded beaches, but who wants to do that?

The only way to visit Florida or any other sea shore this year is if you have or rent a house, but everything is pretty much booked all the way through September. The same goes for mountain cabins and lake houses. People are looking for ways to escape somewhere somehow and who would blame them? This is why hotels are overcrowded and not really safe.

All this leaves most of us stuck at home with restless kids. My husband and I work from home; I can’t even imagine what people do with young kids if both parents work away from home. Yes, many businesses allow employees work from home if at all possible, but not all of us can do that. All I have to say about this job situation is that I don’t know how some people do that and I that I really feel for them.

In my privileged working from home life bored kids are still posing an issue. I do have to get stuff done during the day and sometimes they are relentlessly whining, fighting, and nagging. As every good parent, I have been coming up with some entertainment – sometimes with great success and other times not so much.

This is what we like to do, and hopefully you can get an idea or two to help you keep your kids sane:

Lake day

A day spent at the lake is always great. There is a beautiful park just 40 minutes from our house. We go there every few weekends alone or with friends. While there, we grill, fish, swim, and boat. It’s not quite like a European vacation, but it’s the next best thing I guess. Bass Pro Shops have supplies for a day or a weekend at the lake, and we recently got kids fishing poles, fishing license, floats, and even our new inflatable boat there. The next purchase from Bass Pro Shops will be a motor for the boat that will take us further without rowing.

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My youngest son loves fishing and while he is at it, you won’t hear a single nagging sentence from him, except when it’s time to go home. My daughter loves swimming with her floats and fins. And I just spread myself in the sun and have a much deserved day of relaxation.

Mushroom picking

After 18 years living in Georgia I recently discovered that wild chanterelles grow here in every forest. I was ecstatic! After two family trips to a forest behind neighbor’s fence we came home with a basket of mushrooms each and my kids understood that this will become our life after each heavy rain all the way through September. They don’t complain when they eat wild chanterelles with cream for dinner though. This activity takes at least 1.5 hours and serves as a great work out too.

Walks and runs

We take our dog for a walk at least 2 times per week in the mornings when it’s still not baking hot. We usually go to kids’ school’s stadium, let the dog lose, and play with paper planes, in the playground, in the sand, or just walk track. The school is just 15 minutes from our house. This activity easily gives us 6,000 steps.

LEGO

I have to admit that I bought more LEGO during corona than ever before. This is one thing I don’t mind though, because kids play with it for hours, I just wish it would be a little cheaper.

They build their own fantastic animals and machines and take them outside. They immerge in this role play so much that some days I don’t hear from them at all, except when they get hungry.

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Books

Yes, those are very important, especially for my older. She can read for hours, all I have to do is keep the supply of books coming, which is tough with libraries closed.

My younger son is not quite there yet and likes just one series of books, but we are working on expanding his literature horizons.

Swim

We are very fortunate to have a pool in our backyard. Kids get tired of pool, but I still make them get in every day. Sometimes they swim and play their games there for a long time; other days they have no interest and fight. This is when I invite 1-2 girlfriends with kids, because then pool is interesting for 5 hours straight. After such invitation we usually get invited to their house too, and what’s better than a playdate not at home?