A Budget Friendly Summer

These days, a family is considered “large” with more than 2 kids, so those of us parenting multiples as well as siblings automatically fall into this group. Day-to-day, I don’t consider our family of 6 particularly big, since it is our personal version of “normal,” however I can’t help but notice the costs adding up when we buy tickets for an event, museum visit, or airfare.

This past week we took advantage of early bird rates for a summer family membership at a nearby community pool. The school year can be hectic, so we’re looking forward to a loosely scheduled summer vacation– the pool will be a nice option for those pleasant lazy days when nothing in particular is on the calendar. Signing up, I did have a bit of initial sticker shock, but when you calculate the cost of admission for 6 for 2 or more visits, the numbers work out similarly; any subsequent visits over the year’s time are “free.” Memberships are available for your area’s museums, zoos, aquariums, and more– do the math, and you might find it’ll save your family some money too.

Another benefit of the up-front investment of a membership is that you won’t feel stressed to visit all the exhibits in a single day– you can pick and choose a few animals to visit at the zoo, for example, then see the rest during a future visit. This is particularly handy when you have toddler twins– too much action packed into one day can be over-stimulating, and a crew with young kids will need to head home for naptime at some point. Many museums have reciprocal partnerships with other cities’ attractions, so you can even take advantage of discounts if you’re hitting the road this summer.

We parents play many roles for our kids: caregiver, teacher, personal chef, etiquette instructor, medic, and more. In the summer, add “cruise director” to the list, planning outings and social meet-ups with friends. Having a couple memberships on hand means not having to think too hard for activity ideas; pack up a homemade lunch for your crew, and you’ve got an affordable, low-stress, fun, and educational activity for the day.

The Importance of Play

Scheduling a playdate for a preschooler these days can feel similar to squeezing a meeting into President Obama's daily itinerary. Soccer, t-ball, art class, swimming... there are so many wonderful choices for kids to expand their horizons. Sometimes, however, you can have too much of a good thing.

The parents I know [myself included] bemoan the current trend of over-scheduled children, yet somehow, feel pressured to keep up with other families in the extra-curricular department. May I suggest that we all take a step back and remember what our moms taught us: "Just because everyone is doing it, doesn't make it right!"

Children rushing around town to various school events, sports, and other activities, hurriedly eating snacks in car seats, are missing out on one of the most basic needs of childhood: free time. Free time is vitally important for a child to imagine and play independently, or together with siblings/friends. Free time is the time that problems are encountered, and solutions are tested out. Scuttling from here to there, over-scheduled kids do not have the opportunity to be creative and problem-solve on their own. In addition, over-scheduled kids are more stressed and eat less healthfully as the weeks add up.

Luckily, the problem of over-scheduled children is coming to mainstream attention. The American Academy of Pediatrics focused a spotlight on the issue with the January 2007 Policy Statement, "The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds." [A wonderful read when you have some time... to see it, click here.]

The media has picked up on the issue, and more families are becoming aware of the importance of free time. We parents need to make sure we do our part to preserve our kids' unstructured time each week. How can we do this? Focus on your family's priorities and goals, eliminate the unnecessary stuff, and choose two activities or sports, three tops, per child, at any given point in the year.

The need for free time is great news for families with twins, triplets, and more. Any parent who has driven Johnny to flag football, Mary to ballet, and Billy to piano, only to turn around to pick everyone up again, can see the beauty of a more open schedule! Don't feel guilty when you hear your neighbors discuss their prodigy child's five weekly after-school activities; smile inwardly, and remember that you're doing your kids a favor by letting them be kids while they still can!