With summer coming to a close and school back in session, much to the chagrin of their children, parents couldn’t be more elated. With children once and for all out of their hair, it’s time for mom or dad to kick back and relax for nine long months. This return to school is a pleasant and enjoyable moment for all types of parents. Our stay at home parents are now blessed with a new found freedom, in which they can enjoy long, luxurious, and peaceful days on the couch curled up with a good book. Our working parents no longer have to return home after a hard day of work to a gaggle of screaming children, who have been cooped up at home or day care all day. Rather, they can enter into a serene refuge in which chores are completed and well-mannered children are working diligently on their homework. How majestic!
So… how many parents just got physically ill reading this idealistic description of back to school time? I’m not even a parent, and I don’t buy into this idea often portrayed in mainstream media. Back to school time is one of the most chaotic times for parents. Not only do they have to juggle everything school related, but they must also juggle the four hundred other activities their children are involved with during the school year. Whether it’s band, music lessons, gymnastics, basketball, indoor soccer, or football, the beginning of the school year always rings in the beginning of the busiest time for extracurricular activities. With this said, the thought of their children going back to school is not an occasion for parents to dance down the isles of their local Wal-Mart merrily buying school supplies. It is a chaotic time, in which parents are running their children all around Porter County while desperately trying to maintain some semblance of a normal family life. Home cooked meals are often neglected for the ease of fast food, homework time is often moved into cars during commute to practices, and frustration and animosity resound, as there never seems to be enough time in a day. If this sounds like your life right now, and you desperately need help to manage this chaos, then you should consider looking into the Valparaiso Boys & Girls Club.
The Boys & Girls Club is a great way to help you balance your hectic schedule. For only $25 dollars a year, your children will be able to come and enjoy all of our great programming. Whether it’s help with their homework, fun and instructional sports leagues, or simply a safe and fun place to hang out while you complete errands, the Boys & Girls Club offers just about anything that parents of school aged kids could ask for. Our qualified team leaders provide enriched programming for youth in the areas of character and leadership, education and career, arts, and sports, fitness, and recreation. It is vital to understand that we are much more than a baby-sitting service. We provide children with programs and opportunities that are meant to inspire and enable them to achieve their full potential as responsible, caring, and productive citizens. We are in the business of helping kids become better people. Parents must remember that it takes a village to raise a child. There is no shame in asking for or seeking out help. So next time it seems as if the grind of parenthood is getting to much to bear, just remember that the Boys & Girls Club is here to help. If you are interested in hearing more about the Boys & Girls Club feel free to stop by at 354 W. Jefferson Street or give me a call at 219-462-2182.
-Cory