Parental Advice from Matt!

Today, is the last day of the school year.  I'm so proud of my kids, how they're all happy, get great grades, are involved in sports and music, and seem well balanced.

I'm hesitant to give out parenting advice because one thing I've learned is there are lots of ways to raise great kids.  My way is not necessarily better or worse than anyone else's, and what worked for me might not work for anyone else.  That being said, here are three bits of advice which I think are pretty spot on.

1) Read to your kids when they're young.  Without a doubt, the reason my kids are good in school is because my wife started reading to them every night when they were young.  If she wasn't around, I'd read to them, but my wife carried the bulk of that burden.  There are many reasons reading to your kids at a young age is great (increased imagination, awareness of the world, learning important life lessons) but encouraging them to read on their own has paid us back 17 years later with straight A's.  If there's one thing I'd attribute to my children's positive outcomes, it's this.  Read a story to your kids every night.

2) Back in 2007, my wife and I made a decision.  I'd leave my Marketing Director gig and focus on working in radio, a schedule which allowed me to (technically) be a stay at home parent.  For 12 years, I've either dropped my kids off at the bus in the morning, picked my kids up from the bus in the afternoon, or both.  I'll miss that.  I understand having a flexible schedule like mine is a luxury, but making time for your kids, and letting them know you're a consistent presence, even when you're at work, is calming and reassuring for your kids.  Today, my youngest officially leaves elementary school.  After 13 years, I will no longer be taking my kids to the bus (big brother will drive them to school next year).  I feel like I accomplished something today.

3) Make sure your kids get downtime. These kids schedules are insane.  When you get kids into junior high and high school, you'll be floored by the levels of time commitment required for academics, sports, music, theater; whatever regular or extra-circular activity they're engaged in.  Just like adults, make sure they get time to stop and breathe.  How you let them do so it up to you, but as they get older, you'll come to realize screens are how their generation communicates.  Where I used to try to extremely limit the amount of screen time they got, I now realize it's a necessary evil to ensure your kid is not a pariah.  What age you allow a screen is up to you, but 13 has worked for us, with social media sites being allowed according to their threat level (Snapchat Never!).  We allow screen time, but that's us.  How you regulate your kid's downtime is up to you.  And make sure they are going to bed at a reasonable time.  Downtime is not just during the day.

I'll shut up now.  You raise your kids how you see fit, but if you do versions of the aforementioned guidelines, you'll probably be very happy with the results.  Good Luck!