Date Added: 20-09-2005

How crazy does summer need to be?  The author below writes that the essential thing is for kids to relax during summer's lazy days.  Read the excerpt below.

Buffalo News - NY, United States

By KATHARINE KIRCHMEYER

9/15/2005 
 
 
When did kids stop getting to be kids? When I was little, my siblings and I would go outside and play for hours. We used to make obstacle courses out of our swing set and forts out of our picnic table. We used to invent games on the spot.
On Christmas, my cousins and I were sent to the basement so that our parents could have grown-up time. No problem. We transformed my grandparents' basement into a supermarket, using their cupboards as shelves and stock, and an ironing board as the checkout counter. We played house and dress-up with old Halloween costumes. We made up dances, which I still remember, and performed for each other. We weren't banished to the basement, we were taught to entertain ourselves. And we became more creative because of it.

During family dinners, we often reminisce about funny and embarrassing memories from our childhoods. My mom often asks the same questions: Did I do a good job raising you? Did you ever feel that you missed out? The fact that we are now in our 20s and choose to spend time with her should say a great deal. I know I'm biased, but I can honestly say my parents did a great job raising us.

Why? Because they let us be kids. Their expectations for us were understated, yet genuine. They didn't throw us into sports at age 5, pushing us to be professional athletes. My sister and I weren't put into dance classes and expected to be world-famous ballerinas.

Read the entire article:

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050915/1033772.asp