TEENS: In honor of National Family Fun Month, which is recognized in June, consider celebrating throughout the summer to prioritize some playful time with your children before they finally return to school in person this fall.
Since we’ve all been indoors for the past year and a half, take the opportunity to use what’s left of this summer to have fun family gatherings, celebrations and outings that may well create memories for your children that last a lifetime.
Plan a day getaway to the park, the beach or the mountains with your family. We all crave being outdoors, and now’s the time to do it!
Even families that stick close to home can enjoy playing games in their own backyard, pitching a tent, watching a movie or playing whiffle ball or flag football, for example.
The old saying, “Families that play together, stay together,” has a lot of merit, so be sure to set aside some playtime with your children and young teens. Everyone will benefit from the exercise, and hopefully some bonding moments will arise as well.
A TUTOR OR TIME TO PLAY SPORTS?
DR. WALLACE: My son is 13 and has always had a difficult time learning in school. He has been tested numerous times for various learning disabilities, but the results are always the same.
We are consistently told that our son has a low IQ but no specific learning problem. The good news is that our son likes some of his classes, especially physical education. We are happy that he is excited about playing basketball or baseball in high school. Although he’s not the brightest kid in his classes, when it comes to physical abilities, our son is near the top of his age group. He’s quite strong and coordinated, and he sure enjoys every minute he gets to play any sport at all.
Should we encourage him to continue with sports, or focus all our time (and his) to get him a tutor to work with him to do better in school? — Mom Who Wants To Help, via email
MOM WHO WANTS TO HELP: Why can’t you do both, if possible? Get your son a tutor to help him with classes he finds difficult and have him try out for the high school sports he prefers to play. Since he’s physically gifted as an athlete, he may indeed have a good chance at playing high school varsity sports someday.
And if he doesn’t make the high school teams, do have him try out for a city-sponsored sports team that plays sports for the fun of it as part of a community-centered activity schedule. Many young people enjoy playing in these “no-pressure” leagues where they can enjoy the fun of the sport without any big competitive pressures bearing down on them.
Either way, I’d suggest you do your best to keep your son as active as possible in the sports he enjoys.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected] To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
