Well, it’s summertime and we are all trying to relax, get outside a bit more, and have fun whether we are vacationing or just at home with the kids.

While we all tend to think “fun” when summer arrives, studies suggest that this is a particularly demanding time for parents.

What happens is that the more time we have with kids, the more opportunity for any weakness in our parenting to reveal itself! As the stress is added, many (not all) of us fall into patterns of nagging, demanding, prodding, yelling…and just plain, old…losing it and going ballistic.

It ain’t pretty!

So “summer fun” can turn into … “I am so done…with summer fun!”

But wait! There is hope!

Most of the problems, whether relatively minor or … even if fairly major, are solvable. You just have to make sure you get a game plan that takes your focus off of the futile attempts to “control” kids during the summer fun time … to the successful “Terrific Parenting” approaches where you “teach” kids to listen, be responsible, and get along. The tools are all here, and I have seen hundreds of parents master the essential summer “tricks.”

It can be done. Part of your secret for real summer fun with the family … is to rely upon structure to bring sanity to daily life … at home or on the road (at Disney, the Waterpark, or camping).

I also just finished a new article on summer routines and summer structure. You can read it here: Summer Routines Article

To a great summer!