Parents come on, aren’t we all on the edge of this permanent vacation, desperately waiting for the schools to get back into routine? Stormy days force us to stay cooped up at home while sunny days that happen to be a day off from school leave us in disbelief. The bottom line is that we need to entertain our kids AND get our work done. Freelance work, house work, chores, errands, office jobs, all these are on hold and our stability is shaken. Since there is no solution as to how to go about working except hope for the best, try to work at night or find a temporary daycare, we are left with keeping our kids company.

1. As hard as this sounds, and it is something I personally haven’t done although I’m sure it is beneficial, is revising homework. Take an hour daily to follow up on what your kids have learned, find a gap to fix, make sure they remember what the teacher had taught them, you know considering it has been a month without school. I meant that to be sarcastic but it is serious as well, kids won’t remember their lessons unless they practice.

2. If you are getting cabin fever and feel that the storm isn’t too strong, that it is merely rain, dress in your warmest clothing and head to an indoor space, walk around in a mall, go to the supermarket or a playground where your kids can play and you can have a fresh hot coffee. Sometimes a change of scenery from your home to a relative’s home does the charm and your child will feel he had a fun day.

3. During the worst storm rages when it is unsafe to step outside and roads are flooding, stay home but do something fun for the kids. It can be watching a DVD with them, playing music and dancing, let them draw and paint, play make believe, or have them help you around the house, kids love anything if you make it a game. Sometimes all it takes is our attention to what they need for them to stop nagging, because as much as we dislike the situation, we need to remember that they are as well.

Maria Najem

Photo: happinessishomemade.com