Parenting School Age Children

Spring brings longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures. Children, who were cooped up during winter weather, cannot wait to get outside and get moving. That being said, boredom sets in quickly and it is in such times that the three best spring games and toys for kids come in quite handy!

Facing the Challenge

Parents of elementary school-aged children know that games are a beloved pastime. Unfortunately, unless junior is quite resourceful or mom and dad are old hands at having some outdoor games ready for the youngsters, thinking up new spring entertainment for kids can be quite a challenge.

Water, Water, Everywhere…

The favorite games for kids usually involve water. Water plus warm spring weather is the kind of equation that makes sense. Buy a slip-and-slide, wading pool or rotating sprinkler head and you have the makings of hours of fun. Parents who don’t mind getting wet should look into buying some soaker guns that ensure fast, active and wet game-play.

Caveat: Even a shallow wading pool requires consistent parent supervision when in use. Do not put older children in charge of toddlers and babies; remember: at the end of the day, they are still kids themselves who need some spring fun.

Game Sets

Invest in a basketball hoop and croquet set. Especially if there is not much of a backyard to speak of, the driveway can become an instant basketball court. Croquet works best on a mowed lawn or at least some even soil. Even though croquet may seem like it has been around for a long time, it is one of the evergreen children’s games that will continue to be popular for generations to come.

Outdoor Art Supplies

Artwork – especially finger-painting – is perfect for the outdoors. Get long rolls of butcher paper, cans of finger-paint and keep the hose on stand-by. Before long the kids will take off their shoes and footprints as well as handprints may adorn a driveway, walkway and – perhaps – some of the butcher paper.

Don’t Forget…

The most important aspect of school-aged children’s games in spring is parent participation. Don’t be too busy to have some fun. Remember: games for kids are not just for the youngsters!

Keeping in step with my firm belief that there are no parenting experts, I do agree and acknowledge that there are definitely those who “have been through it”, “have seen it all”, and have kept the faith in the process.

In this spirit I will share with you some interpretations, suggestions and offer ‘from the trenches’ observations that might be helpful to others. I long to stand corrected and if you notice errors or have ideas on how to parent better, more effectively or just have more fun in the process, please don’t be shy and leave a comment or two.

Sincerely yours,
Sylvia Cochran

Picking out a unique baby name is one of the first decisions over which many a parent agonizes for extended periods of time. What is sometimes lost in the shuffle of excitement over unique baby names is the fact that said babies will grow up to become school-aged children.

Looking even further down the road, any unique baby name that may have a parent proudly pat her/himself on the back is also a name that in about 18 years will show up on someone’s resume. This presents an interesting dilemma: are unique baby names going to present problems for school-aged children and young adults in the long run?

Cases in Point

Perhaps the honor of providing the poster child of a unique baby name is reserved for the fictional Mr. and Mrs. Clapp, who in the 1600s named their child ‘Through Much Tribulation We Enter The Kingdom Of Heaven Clapp.’ Young Master Clapp promptly shortened his name to Tribby Clapp. (1)

In the real world, unique baby names have little girls facing life with the name Ariel (no, not the mermaid, but instead the translation of “lion of God”) while boys proclaim themselves to be Reuben (translated as “behold, a son”). Historically-minded moms and dads may introduce little Thibault (which is French for “bold”) or adorable Emeline (French for “rival”).

Unique Baby Names and the School-aged Children Who Bear Them

When it comes to more modern names, there oftentimes is an overabundance of odd spellings – frequently the insertion of a silent ‘h’ or ‘d’ – apostrophes, and little used consonants jostling for space in one short name. The New York Times (2) weighed in on this issue and outlines that school-aged children with weird names would get worse grades and had a harder time in social interactions during elementary school.

The Times also suggested that these kids with their unique baby names would grow up to be unemployed adults. Perhaps the most telling suggestion is that kids – once teachers and prospective employers can associate a face with them – have the same odds as other children devoid of unique baby names.

Of course, in a day and age when data does not come with faces attached and hiring managers sift through stacks of resumes to even narrow down the number of potential interviewees, this may be a tepid consolation.

Unique Baby Names: Yea or Nay?

In the midst of the election I did an offbeat news story about a “Baby Named Sarah McCain Palin.” Then there was the issue of “Adolf Hitler Campbell;” in both cases the youngsters were saddled with names that identify their parents’ strong beliefs and political leanings but which open the doors to uncounted years of hardship and struggle.

So what say you: are unique baby names a go or should a parent forego her/his penchant for the unique baby name in favor of the school-aged child’s ability to fit in with peers?

1. American Masonic record, and Albany Saturday magazine, Volume 1 (accessed February 7, 2010)
2. New York Times. “Boy Named Sue, and a Theory of Names” (accessed February 7, 2010)