About Parenting July Blog Carnival - End Mid-Summer Madness Now!

Every month the Parenting Guides on About gather together with other parenting experts and bloggers to help you troubleshoot a specific parenting challenge. This month, we're focused on the topic of ending mid-summer madness. You know what I'm talking about. The first few weeks of summer went by like a dream, but now the vacation is over, the kids are bored, they're getting into trouble and you're trying to find new, innovative ways to keep them entertained, happy, and maybe even learning a thing or two along the way.

We're here to help. For starters, keep in mind that children who have too much free time on their hands may experiment with dangerous behaviors or activities that lead to trouble. You can keep your kids on the straight and narrow by knowing some of the dangers kids get into over the summer vacation. An ounce of prevention, know what I mean?

Kathy Sena of the ParentTalkToday blog (one of my favorites) suggests some fun ideas on keeping your child's brain from turning to mush this summer. I especially like her suggestion on incorporating science into fun activities.

Bonding is also a part of what summer should be about, and Katherine Lewis, our Guide to Working Moms, offers up tips and ideas on bonding with your children, when time is limited. Five minutes is all it takes to strengthen the parent/child bond, and even the busiest of moms can manage to find five minutes for such an important task.

Amanda Rock, our Guide to Preschoolers, believes that summer fun can come with a purpose, and so she suggests ideas on fun ways to interact with your preschoolers when boredom sets in.

If you work at home you shouldn't be afraid to break loose from your desk every now and then. After all, it is summer, so Laureen Miles Brunelli, our Guide to Work at Home Moms, reminds everyone that family picnics shouldn't be a thing of the past. She inspires us all to find that old table cloth and Grandma's picnic basket for a day of fun and respite.

Don't forget about working out this summer. You need it and your kids do, too. Catherine Holecko, our Guide to Family Fitness suggests that a little recreation outdoors should be enough to keep you and the kids from going mad this summer. All you really need is cooperation from Mother Nature.

There's no reason why community service shouldn't be a part of your summer, as Susan Adcox, our Guide to Grandparents, points out. Why not bond with your children or grandchildren, all while making your community a better place?

Sometimes household rules go out the window during the summer months, but Jennifer Wolf, the Guide to Single Parenting, reminds us that when you enforce limits with your children, everybody benefits, and the mood of the home can be much improved.

Is your teen getting on your nerves? Suggest a teen slumber party to break up the boredom. Denise Witmer, our Guide to Parenting Teens knows exactly how to throw a great teen slumber party, and keep everyone happy and having fun.

Hopefully, the weather is cooperating with you this summer, but if not, Christy Matte, our Family Computing Guide, can relate. Cold, rainy days prompted her to find fun, computer activities for her kids, and she's willing to share her knowledge with you, just in case the weather takes a turn for the worse in your area.

If you think parenting during the summer months is a challenge, just remember that parents of multiples get it twice over, or more. But that doesn't mean they can't cope. Just the opposite, if they read Pamela Fierro's advice on dealing with multiples and summer madness.

Terri Mauro, About's Guide to Special Children shares her advice on keeping children engaged when they think there's nothing to do.

And Katherine Lee, About's Guide to Child Parenting firmly believes that play dates can be the answer for bored children and tired moms and dads. Just pick up the phone and make a date. So simple.

If you homeschool, Beverly Hernandez offers insight into activities that are not only fun, but inexpensive and educational, too. In fact, these ideas apply to any child, homeschooled or not.

Finally, Barb R. from CyberPatrol.com chimes in on the issue of kids and Internet dangers during the summer months, and what parents can do.

Of course, we'd like to know what you do to minimize mid-summer madness at your home. Please feel free to leave a comment on any of our sites - and hang in there. With a little luck, you'll get your summer groove back, no problem.