To celebrate the first day of summer, tomorrow Saturday June 21st, we invited author Rene Gutteridge on the blog today to share with us a little about her thoughts on parenting and her latest novel, Just 18 Summers.
GIVEAWAY: Enter through the widget below to win a copy of Just 18 Summers. It’s a great beach read for your summer pile.
~*~
Sometimes the summer break seemed really long to me, especially once the kids passed the age where the McDonald’s PlayPlace was all they needed to make them happy. I’d watch some of my friends fly with their families off to Hawaii or Branson or Disney World or even Idaho, and I’d wonder how in the world I was going to entertain my children for weeks on end. Like many families, we had a strict budget to adhere to. We set aside money for fun events here and there, but for the rest of the time we had to do things that cost very little.
The children were a bit older—late elementary age—when I realized that in our modern society very few people teach their children their trade. My kids never thought “novel writing” was anything spectacular. To them it was just something Mom had to do while they had to entertain themselves for what I’m sure seemed like hours on end (usually just a couple of hours in the morning). But I realized that I had something to teach my children. Writing, whether for novels, essays, or college applications, would be important in their lives. So I decided it was time to teach them my trade. I was astonished by how little they knew of what I did and, even better, by how interested they were! On the days we did this, they got up early, anticipating each new lesson. I tried to make the lessons fun, but frankly I didn’t have to work that hard at the fun part. They were so eager to learn what Mom “did” that they didn’t really moan or groan that much. And I was delighted when I realized they were working on their own novels during their free time, when they could have been watching TV or playing video games.
I began thinking about what a useful tool this option is for all parents. Our kids have such vast employment opportunities in this country that we forget how wonderful it is to teach them what we do for a living or what we studied in college or even what we dreamed we might be someday.
Think about all the fun you could have teaching a child about real estate. Drive around your neighborhood and see if they can pick out “prime real estate,” and ask them to list the reasons why. Or give them the job of walking down your street and rating each house as to its “curb appeal.”
With each occupation or interest, we often assume that our kids either already know about it or wouldn’t care. But passing down our legacy, including how our hands make a living, is an important part of spending time with our children. And it is certainly a better idea than TV or video games. Did you deliver papers as a kid to make money? Teach them how to toss a paper while on a bike, rating them for how close they get to the door each time. Did you flip burgers to get through college? Have them come up with the perfect fast-food menu, then let them cook up dinner one night, with family members as customers. Are you a bank teller? Teach them about the money drawer and customer service.
It can be a lot of fun, and I think you’ll be surprised—no matter what you’re teaching them—how eager they’ll be to learn about what you do and, even more important, to learn about you. I was surprised by all the different questions my kids would ask me about my job, things that I took for granted they knew, like “How do you get paid to write a book?”
So, this summer, if you’ve exhausted all the free museum trips and run out of Groupons for entertainment options, take a week to tell them about your trade. The time will pass so quickly—and delightfully—you’ll wish summer would slow down a little bit more!
~*~
For more from Rene, visit her online . . .
Stop by the blog next week to hear from Michelle Cox, co-author of Just 18 Summers, on her inspiration for the novel. Have a lovely weekend, all!
