Nancy Stoops M.A., M.F.T Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

By Nancy Stoops

I am a very big believer in rest and relaxation, and I feel summer is a great time to do that.  I take a lot of time off in the summer to relax, but I feel that summer must also be productive as well. I force myself to move at a much slower pace and I do play a lot more, but I try to remember the concept of balance, as well.

Summer also allows for some unique activities for your children. For example, I see summer as a time to work on special talents and projects.  Having a project can be very grounding and give you something to be working toward, which I believe is a very important concept.  But, this doesn’t take away from a very well deserved break.

The other really great piece about being productive this summer is that your child won’t lose all of their skills over the summer and returning to school will be easier.  If we don’t use something for three months, our skills can become rusty.  By allowing our children to do absolutely nothing over the summer, we are not doing them a favor; we are doing them a grave injustice.

So encourage your children to read a book, write a story about something fun, walk the dog to keep their muscles strong, help you add and subtract how many miles you’ll be traveling this vacation, understand why when you throw the ball up, it always comes back down, and just keep learning the whole summer through. Teach them the way to find that balance that will enhance their relaxation, make them feel good about their productivity, and allow them to have more fun than they ever have!

Nancy Stoops

This article was written by Nancy Stoops M.A., M.F.T.  Nancy is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.  She has a private practice in Diamond Bar and is currently accepting new clients; she is also a motivational speaker who can inspire your employees or group members.  Nancy runs free family support groups, a group on loss for seniors, and groups on how to manage anger.    For more information about any of these services feel free to contact her at (909) 229-0727.  You may e-mail Nancy at nancyjstoops@verizon.net