In today’s fast paced society summer seems to be viewed as a time for our young people to spend hours texting and posting on Facebook, taking selfies, hanging out at the mall and endlessly entertaining themselves. Is that really so bad? I would have to say yes!! Families are being driven further apart and no-one seems to want to put down their phone long enough to stop it. The main danger of the family falling apart is that as we become more self-involved we forget about God. So what can we do during the summer to raise more Godly children, to draw them closer to their savior have more fulfilling experiences? Here is a thought that some parents might find crazy, spend time with your kids. Go in the backyard and play catch, talk to them (okay talk at them for the 1st half of the summer until they detox the teenage attitude). Also find some fun and interesting worthy activities for them. If you are a boy there is of course Scouts, and Scout camp. Many of the scout camps hire local youth to work for the summer, some like Camp Hunt at Bear Lake, will take youth for training as young as 13. This is a tremendous opportunity and the camps teach good values the youth involved come back invigorated, and having made great friends over the summer. My stepdaughters worked at Camp Hunt one summer and it was an amazing experience. They learned all kinds of radical ideas like be a good citizen, be a good friend, be responsible… I know weird right??
If having your kids away the entire summer working doesn’t sound dreamy there are lots of options that take just a few days but leave a lifetime of learning. Utah Patriot camp is a three day experience and teaches history and the constitution!! You can find out more about this great camp at www.utahpatriotcamp.com . The LDS church sponsors Young Women’s camp, where they spend time with their youth leaders, overcome challenges and bear testimonies. Many of the local churches find this to be a time to attend youth conferences or come together with the adults in projects and fun activities that draw families together. What I have found is that regardless of religion the key to having a God centered Youth is time. Time with parents, time with youth leaders, time for charitable service, time to think about Christ, time to overcome challenges and time to learn. At the beginning of the summer you may have to pry the phone out of their hands and threaten dire consequences but in the end your child will thank you and so will society!
