Let's Celebrate July!

There's a lot to celebrate this month.  First let's take a look at some July historical events:

•       The first pair of Foster Grant shades was sold on the boardwalk at Atlantic City 80 years ago. This started America's first commercial sunglass company.
•       The snow cone first made its first appearance in July of 1919 at the Texas State Fair.

It was made official on the Monday night episode of Jon and Kate Plus Eight; Kate Gosselin has filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences."  Both Jon and Kate stated that it was the "best thing for our kids," ..."our kids shouldn't see us fighting" ..."this is the kids' house" ..."we are going to alternate living in the house ..."

What should we make of this turn of events?

• Whether or not you are a "Jon and Kate" fan, as Christians we are saddened by the news that this couple is planning to end their marriage. God's design is that husband and wife would "be one."

"You love your children equally, but that doesn't mean you have to treat them the same.  Adjust your approach based on their individual quirks, and you'll make everyone happier (including you)."  (Different Rules for Different Kids, Parents Magazine, June 2009).

What do you think of that premise?

• John and I phrase the same thought in this way: Parenting isn't a matter of equality, it's a matter of equity, doing what is consistent and fair for each individual child.

"According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), it's easy for kids to access online gambling sites, especially if they have access to credit or debit cards. Some of the most popular non-gambling Web sites carry ads for gambling sites, and many online game sites link to gambling sites." (FTC Consumer Alert, May 2009)

Besides closely monitoring your teenager, what can you do to combat the lure of internet gambling?

• There are several things that you need to be aware of and that you should be certain your teenagers understand as well. And here is one reason why... "Research finds that problem gambling is three to four times higher with internet gamblers than non-internet gamblers," said Chad Hills, analyst for gambling research and policy at Focus on the Family Action.

"If you have an artistic, creative child, don't send him to a summer camp for jocks," says Dale Atkins, author of I'm OK, You're My Parents. That seems pretty logical, but are there other things you might want to consider when sending your middle school children off to camp?

• Do some indepth research about any camp you are considering for your child. Go online for information. Ask other parents whose kids have experienced the camp. Visit the camp itself if that is feasible.

"Love it or dread it, the family road trip is still the ultimate bonding experience," according to Kathleen Leighten in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. With summer right around the corner and budgets a little tighter than usual, here are some ideas for making your next family road trip more fun:

There are many ways to pass the hours on a road trip. If family bonding is one of your main goals, then there are certain things you will want to avoid (or at least to use sparingly). Those would include cell phones, DVDs, ipods, or anything with isolating headphones. So what are some alternative activities for your trip?

1. Word games - the alphabet game (finding letters on billboards, etc. in alphabetical order); I spy-alphabet game (finding objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet in alphabetical order); grocery store game ("I went to the grocery store and bought an A - apple." Then, "I went to the grocery store and bought an A - apple and a B - banana." Etc.); license plate game (How many states can you find?)