New Summer Beginnings

Summer is coming!  Kids are excited for the summer, but I do believe they are wanting the structure and consistency of the school year.  I had a conversation with my son and found out that his school has three school-wide expectations.

1.  Be respectful
2.  Make good decisions
3.  Be a problem solver

We will be using these expectations this summer.  High expectations = a great challenge.  Children and teens want high expectations.  I am the first to be impatient with my child. I want my child to grow into an awesome independent adult (adult tantrums are not attractive).  It would be so...easy to hand my child a piece of technology to numb his/her boredom.  I do love technology, but I do not want to use it to cover areas that need character shaping/building.  Instant gratification is difficult to counteract.  This summer we will slow down the pace.  I anticipate and welcome new and different life rhythms.

Activity: Take some time before summer and begins and review school and home expectations.  Compare and contrast school and home expectations.  Are they similar?  Different?  Why is important for homes and communities to have a mission statement, core values, and expectations?