They've counted down the days and now it's here.

Summer: your child's anxiously anticipated dream-come-true. No more blaring alarm clocks or long days confined to a plastic chair. No more crabby teachers, cumbersome backpacks or buses to catch. And best of all, no more…HOMEWORK!

Summer: a parent's nightmare!? No more regular schedules and structured after-school activities, new daycare hours or supervision requirements, bored children who prefer Nintendo to the library, increased surveillance for those long days when you're at work and the babysitter or adolescents are home alone.

Summer: What can be your children's paradise, however, can be your purgatory if you don't set some boundaries around summer fun. How can you reduce the worry without compromising your children's time to regroup, relax and rejuvenate? Play is as important to a child's development as is school. Kids need the summer break for those reasons. Here are some suggestions that may calm your anxiety as well as increase your communication and family enjoyment during the hot hiatus from the classroom.

1. Despite what they tell you, children like routines. We all do. Predictability is important in our busy and chaotic world. Therefore, before those dog days arrive, have a family meeting. Decide on a new schedule. Make bedtime an hour later, but require they get up before noon as well. Expect curfews to be maintained. Keep a large calendar of events including summer camps, family vacations, special events, and relatives' visits.
2. One of summer's advantages for parents is that your kids are home more often to help around the house. There are lawns to be mowed, flowers to be watered, animals to be cared for, laundry and cooking to be done. Perhaps your fifteen-year-old can cook dinner a few times a week in exchange for her Oasis Waterworks pass, or trips to the mall. Encourage your twelve-year-old to fix breakfast (there's no burning cold cereal) and clean up in exchange for a trip to the public pool. Once again, negotiation is the language of compromise.
3. Encourage…even require…exercise. It has been proven that daily exercise can have as great an impact on the treatment of depression as medication. Our kids are exposed to more stressors than ever before and requiring some form of exercise increases their endorphin levels, therefore improving their moods. The public pool, rollerblading or biking along the river and walking the family pet are all inexpensive alternatives to school sports. Try the community schools or local sports clubs for reasonably-prices tennis, golf and soccer camps. Look into the YMCA or the Boys and Girls Clubs for other types of recreation. We are fortunate in that we have great weather and many local resources at our disposal. You just have to look.
4. The summer break can also be a time for continued learning. There are art classes, classes at the children's museum and many activities at the parks and libraries. Go to the 99-cent store, Goodwill or the Salvation Army for inexpensive craft supplies. Encourage your child to make an art project to show in the county fair. Learn a new hobby with your child. Start Grandma's birthday present now. Open that computer game you received for Christmas and learn some new skills. Creative expression is important for all of us! Don't you feel great when you've completed a project? Keep it as simple as encouraging the kids to collect rocks, build a fort, press flowers, write poetry or keep a journal. If your kids are like mine, there is very little time during the school year for some of these pleasurable and satisfying activities.
5. Summer can also be a productive time to finish leftover, shoved-in-the-back-closet projects. (I have a year's worth of photographs that need to be put in an album, don't you?) Let the kids do it. So what if it's not perfect! Let them write up the stickers explaining the photos. Again, so what if it's not perfect? They will take such pride when you look at the books years down the road, their input will be the most important part. What about the garage? Does it need a good cleaning? Let the teenagers take on the task. They come up with some clever uses for junk, believe me.
6. Stock the house with quick-fix food. There's nothing wrong with a little mac n' cheese or Hamburger Helper so you can go to the pool after dinner. Make your life easy-budget ahead and do Costco. As you know, food disappears more readily during the summer. The healthier snacks you have in large quantities, the happier everyone will be. Nuts, granola bars, fresh fruit, barrels of lemonade and plenty of Popsicles can be your answer to hungry appetites.
7. Avoid burnout. Once again, too much of anything can be overwhelming and discouraging to a child. Retain some downtime in the schedule. Allow for some hangin' around. Become a little more spontaneous! Put off an evening chore and picnic in the park instead. After all, this is your summer, too.
8. Plan some long weekends. Camping, visiting friends and family, going to the beach or hiking in the mountains. Have your children ever hiked at Mt. Hood, explored the Mt. St. Helens visitor center, swam in Lake Coeur d'Alene or visited Grand Coulee Dam?
9. Don't forget your neighbors and church friends for support and kid 'trades' during the summer. Grandparents are excellent helpers during the summer months as can be adult aunts, uncles and cousins. Warning: do not turn older siblings into surrogate parents during the summer months. It's not fair, nor is it wise to have a fifteen-year-old watching three younger siblings for 40 hours a week. No matter what your budget, there are community services and non-profit organizations that can help with childcare. Find them and use them.
10. Finally, and most importantly, relax. Take time for laughter, movies, conversations and fun. Enjoy your kids. After all, they won't be home forever. School's just a few months away.