Parents, It's Summer! What's There To Do?

It is summer in Australia and my girl has been pestering me to take her to the beach. However, I haven't had the chance yet. These past few days have been hard on me. There has been a lot of paperwork and I am quite annoyed. Like my kid, I also want to go to the beach, and take a dip in the ocean. The weather is quite nice, and this isn't always the case in Australia. So, I tell her each day, "Later sweetie, Daddy still has lots of work to do," and then she end up crying. And because her crying has been insistent, I checked my schedule only to find out I could not take some time off at all. But, I couldn't say no to her, so I just said, "If you clean Daddy's table every night for a week,we will go to the beach on Sunday." She nodded and was excited.



The next day, I found my table clean and well organized. She really cleaned and arranged the things on my table. So, yeah, I was slightly worried about not fulfilling my promise. Perhaps, some planning will help. A week after, I set aside some of my work and decided to go to the beach on Sunday. I have been thinking of it as a reward to myself - for a week of hard work.



However, because it has been quite a while since the last outing, I found out a day before the date that we had run out of good stocks for this summer's outing. So, there was a need for us to go shopping first. That should have been listed as a priority on my list which I totally forgot. Well, I still had my floral shirt and pair of shorts stocked in my cabinet. So, I didn't need another one for myself, I guess. But then, my girl insisted that I buy her a piece of swim wear. And, I couldn't say no so I bought her one. My girl has gotten taller in the past year, and she has wider hips too now that she's nine.



A day before the outing, I had been thinking about what to buy and what to do when the family outing day came. So, I had listed a few basic things. I started out with the kind of food to buy. I thought of the kind of foods kids would love during a beach outing. And, I ended up with a grill. Of course, because I am a strict father when it comes to health, I had included tropical fruits - these are good for health. I had included hot dogs also since it's much easier make and I don't have to use dishes. However, I let my wife think about the other kinds of food to bring. She is far more familiar with what my kids eat than me.



I took my girl with me to a mall downtown where she could choose one that fit her. I actually don't do the budgeting at home. My wife does. However, in such cases like this one, I usually decide and my wife is there to support me. During the beach outing we will definitely be under the extreme heat of the sun, so I bought sunblock cream. This will protect our skin and prevent sunburns. While buying the sunblock cream I thought of buying a huge umbrella or a wide brim hat. However, since we are going to the beach to swim, buying an umbrella did not make sense.





When the day finally arrived, I was also done listing the "should and shouldn't do" things for my kids, both the big ones and the the young ones.





* Watch out for each other. I often say this to my kids. Before, when we used to go out for picnics, I used to watch over them playing by the lake, and when I couldn't my wife did. But, now that most of them are grown up, I passed the responsibility on to them. They should watch over each other and ensure that everyone is safe. The bigger children should watch over the younger ones. This will provide the adults with some leisure time. However, this doesn't mean that we will neglect their welfare. Of course, we will watch over them every now and then.





* Before swimming, application of sunblock cream is a must. If anyone is caught not doing this, they should not complain about getting a sunburn afterwards.





* Don't go swimming too far and too deep. Parents must take all kinds of precautions in this case. Everybody should be aware of how far the other is going out into the sea.





* Don't forget to rehydrate. Water is a must when you go swimming. So every now and then, I remind my kids to drink water.





* A basic first aid kit is necessary. I bring along a book about it. And, before my kids get into the water, I read some which I think are important for them to know.





* Games are a must. My kids are into sports now that they are all grown up. Perhaps, a good reason could have been their early exposure to it.



* Take things easy. If anything bad should happen, it's best to always stay calm. Remember, you can think better and know what to do when you are calm and relaxed.



These are just a few of the basic things I often tell my kids whenever we go on an outing. And, even though now most of them all grown up, I still impose those rules on them. As long as they are with us during special occasions such as this one, I always make it a point that they obey the rules.



Ian Knabel Parent of 5 Children from 25 to 9 Owner of www.parentingskillsfortoday.com a blog and newsletter dedicated to provided information to help parents manage and improve their relationship with their teenage children.