June/July 2022 Valley Parent

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s I write this column, we’re two days past the most memorable Mother’s Day I can remember. The sweetest part of the day was that Jill and I were able to celebrate with our mothers in person. We fed them well, gave them gifts, talked about old and new times and shared an afternoon of fishing, laughter and the kind of peaceful afternoon that can only be shared around water. Pools, ponds, lakes, rivers and oceans are the perfect backdrop for any holiday and if you introduce a couple of cane poles and spinning rods and reels, you’ve got a recipe for the best possible complement to the food and drink you just shared around your dining room table. Our precious mothers must have had an equally good time because the thank yous and accolades keep coming from the day we had together.

Let’s talk about fishing for a bit. Our first grandchild, Milo, is still too young and rambunctious to fish. One day soon, though, he’s going to be ready. I’ll be ready, too. I want to teach him how to work his bait, how to take a fish off the hook when he catches one, about our relationship to food and how to enjoy fishing even when you don’t catch anything. There’s something magical about how information flows between folks who are going through the process of trying to catch a fish. Conversation is easy, laughter is at the ready and it is easy to have a teachable moment about finding joy in the here and now that is bolstered by the simple activity of reeling line across a fertile farm pond.

By the end of this year, we’ll be proud grandparents to three little ones. At least two are boys and the sex of Christopher and Kathryn’s November baby will be a surprise.

Jilly and G-Pop (our grandparent names) are so excited about the months ahead, and we can’t wait to have a house full of cousins who look forward to being with us out in the Russell County countryside.

I hope you’ll spend some time with this issue of Valley Parent, and that you’ll use the information you glean from our pages to make your relationships with your children and grandchildren more productive. That you’ll find a nugget that will become part of your family’s lexicon of life. While you’re looking for that nugget, we appreciate your support for our advertisers. Buying local feels good and is the most important contributor to the personality of our lives together in the Chattahoochee Valley.

Enjoy your summer!

Mike Venable Editor & Publisher

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A F F I R M AT I V E PA R E N T I N G

Living with Children Q: Concerning chores, another expert recommends giving a child a certain number of chips, like poker chips, every month and if he or she fails to do a chore or doesn’t do it properly, you take a chip away. The chips can be used to purchase clothes and other things the child wants but doesn’t necessarily need. The child can also make lost chips by doing extra chores. My wife and I are searching for a way to get our kids, ages 6 and 9, to do some light lifting around the house. What do you think of this system?

A: I’m not for paying children to assume responsibility in the home. A child of capable age (beginning around 3) should be carrying his or her fair share of household responsibilities. The chores in question should be done because the child is a member of the family, period. Tying chores to reimbursement creates the impression in the child’s mind that he isn’t obligated to do his chores if he doesn’t want.

Today’s parents are generally uncomfortable with exercising what I call a “Because I said so” authority in the home. That hesitation/aversion traces back to early-1970s parenting pundits like psychologist Thomas Gordon, author of one of the bestselling parenting books of that decade. Gordon maintained that parents who adhere to a traditional parenting model would inflict apocalyptic psychological damage upon their children.

Fifty years into this social engineering experiment, it should be obvious that the paradigm shift in question has been nothing but bad for children, families, schools and culture.

“Because I said so” authority is nothing less than legitimate as affirmed by the fact that since the paradigm shift in question— from “Because I said so” to “Will you do it, okay?”—every marker of positive mental health in children has declined, and significantly so. The children who are doing the best— emotionally, socially, and educationally—are those whose parents are not playing by the new rules, which boil down to “Keep your children happy at all cost.”

My wife and I awakened to common sense when our kids were 10 and 6. One expression of our revived common sense found two children doing nearly all of the housework and for no reason other than we told them, in no uncertain terms, they were going to do it.

Did they like the new regime? Absolutely not! They complained bitterly. But they did their chores and they will tell you today that their household responsibilities were indispensable to their successful adulthoods.

By the way, when one of our children asked, “Why do I have to do this stuff?” we answered, “So that you will have that much more reason to leave home when it’s time.” And they did!

Q: Our sons are six and four. When their same-age cousins, come over, they all go down into our basement to play. Invariably, within 30 minutes my youngest comes upstairs crying because

by John Rosemond, PhD

his older brother is causing the cousins to gang up against him.

I end up going down into the basement every half hour to settle these disputes. Is there a way to solve the problem once and for all?

A: You’ve discovered, the hard way, that “settling” one of these conflicts does not solve the problem. In fact, settling 1,358,495 of these disputes will not solve the problem. In further fact, you serving as a mediator is making matters worse. Unwittingly, by coming to your youngest son’s rescue, you cause the other boys to resent him and want to get back at him. When they do, he cries, you come running, you rescue, and again they resent him, and around and around it goes.

Some experts might tell you to ignore it. That’s unrealistic. I couldn’t ignore it. In fact, I’d be every bit as irritated as you are.

Another expert might say, “Let them work it out.” Not me. That may take years. Meanwhile, you will slowly become a candidate for The Funny Farm in Outer Mongolia. I say you should help them work it out.

The secret to helping them work it out is to transfer the emotional burden of this problem—the monkey of the problem, so to speak—from your back to your sons’ backs. Leave the cousins out of this. They are guests in your home.

Here’s how to do it: The next time the cousins come over, let only one of your sons down into the basement to play with them.

Flip a coin to determine who it will be.

Say, “Obviously you both cannot go down into the basement with your cousins at the same time without causing a problem. I’m tired of the provoking, and I’m tired of the crying, so only one of you goes down today. And this is the way it’s going to be for quite some time. Today, I’m going to flip a coin to determine who goes down, who stays up. Next time the cousins come over, the child who stayed upstairs today is allowed downstairs, and the child who was allowed downstairs today will be upstairs. Are you ready?

Heads is older, tails is younger. Here goes!”

Bada bing, bada boom! The problem is solved. If the weather is nice enough to let them outside, let only the son whose turn it is to be in the basement go outside with the cousins. What this does is cause both boys to become highly motivated, and equally so, to solve the problem. And they will. Maintain this policy over the next four times the cousins come over. Then, when each of your sons has experienced “forced exclusion” twice, and the cousins are scheduled to come over, ask the two of them, right before the cousins show up, “Do I need to keep one of you upstairs today?” I don’t need to tell you what the answer will be. Let them both play with the cousins until a problem develops, then separate the son who would have been excluded that day.

Before your boys can tame the monkey of the problem, the monkey must be on their backs. vp Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond.com, parentguru.com. Copyright 2022, John K. Rosemond JULY 2022 | Valley Parent

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June/July 2022

VOLUME 17 NO. 3

D E PA R T M E N T S John Rosemond

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Family Fun Calendar

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Valley Parent Locations

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Valley Smiles

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F E AT U R E S The Family Camping Trip

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Summer Learning Loss is Real

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Backyard Games Will Always Be Favorites

10

Readers’ Choice

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Pitch a Tent ... Not a Fit

9 fun ways to prevent it

Whether classic or more modern, all of these will get your kids moving, playing and having fun!

See the Fresh Faces Cover Contest winners and vote for your favorite for an upcoming VP cover.

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Evie Kirkland, 3, is looking forward to the fireworks on the Fourth of July. She is the daughter of Dorothy and Daniel Kirkland of Seale, Alabama. photos by Ritchie White 2

Valley Parent | JULY 2022

FAMILY CAMPING TRIP Pitch a Tent ... Not a Fit

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ith school out and gas prices on the rise, many families may want to try camping for the first time. Georgia’s State Parks and Historic Sites offer many ways for families to enjoy the outdoors for a fraction of the cost without having to sacrifice a fraction of the fun. Chattahoochee Valley families are just a tank, or less, away from sleeping under the stars, hiking through canyons, paddling through swamps or lounging on a sandy lake shoreline. Here are some options to consider when planning your camping vacation.

CAMPING UNDER THE STARS

Pack the tent and build cherished memories while roasting gooey s’mores. Camping encourages the entire family to enjoy the simple pleasures of swapping stories while looking up at the stars. All campgrounds have water and electric hookups, plus hot showers. Many offer sewage hookups for RVs. GaStateParks.org/Camping

COZY CABINS

For an affordable and cozy staycation, book a cabin or cottage surrounded by beautiful scenery. These come with fully equipped kitchens, screened porches and a wide range of activities right outside the door. Bring your four-legged family members along when you reserve a dog-friendly cabin in advance. At Georgia State Parks’ cabins, the price you are given includes everything, so no extra cleaning fees will be required, making for an even more affordable stay.

GaStateParks.org/Cottages

Cloudland Canyon Overlook JULY 2022 | Valley Parent

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RANGER PROGRAMS

Book a unique and affordable experience for the whole family through the Georgia State Parks’ variety of Ranger Programs. From full-moon hikes, guided kayak excursions, campfire singalongs, archery classes, wildlife encounters and colonial reenactments, to scavenger hunts and sunset cruises, there are plenty of interactive experiences that will satisfy guests of all interests, ages and skill levels. GaStateParks.org/Events

BECOME A JUNIOR RANGER

Children will have fun learning in the outdoors as they work toward earning 59 site-specific Junior Ranger badges.

Through activity books or ranger-led camps, they will experience nature first-hand and explore Georgia’s fascinating history. GaStateParks.org/

EducationalResources

HIT THE TRAIL

Traverse Georgia’s many unique hiking trails with your children to discover the wonders of nature through their eyes.

Georgia’s State Parks offer a variety of hiking and biking paths, from easy paved loops to challenging backcountry trails. Families will experience Georgia’s diverse landscape as well, with canyons and waterfalls, salt marshes and streams.

Energetic explorers can join the Canyon Climbers Club or Muddy Spokes Club while wearing a members-only t-shirt.

GaStateParks.org/ParkActivities or GaStateParks.org/ParkClubs

GO FISHING

Grab your rod and reel and head out for a day of fishing at parks like High Falls or Seminole. There is no fee for casting a line, but a license is required for ages 16 and older. For families who would like to take their adventure up a notch, many state parks rent boats by the hour.

GaStateParks.org/ParkFishing

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Valley Parent | JULY 2022

Amicalola Falls Caving at Cloudland Canyon

TRAVEL BACK IN TIME

Mix entertainment with education when you step back in time at Georgia’s State Historic Sites. Children can explore colonial times at Fort Morris and Fort King George, or Civil War bunkers at Fort McAllister. To learn about Native American history, visit Kolomoki Mounds, New Echota, Chief Vann House and Etowah Indian Mounds.

GaStateParks.org/History

GLAMPING YURTS

For a unique and affordable getaway, book a more glamorous camping experience in a yurt. These funky wood and canvas structures are a blend between a tent and cabin, with furniture inside and fire rings outside. Guests can even walk to nearby hot showers. Yurts are available at Cloudland Canyon, High Falls, Fort Yargo, Sweetwater Creek and Tugaloo state parks. GaStateParks.org/ UniqueAccommodations

Fort Yargo Yurts

JULY 2022 | Valley Parent

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GO PADDLING

Explore Georgia’s waterways through a variety of paddling adventures. Canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and aqua cycles may be rented or visitors may bring their own boats. Many parks offer guided tours, including Stephen C. Foster’s tour of the mysterious Okefenokee Swamp. For a challenge, join the Park Paddlers Club which takes explorers to six state park waterways while wearing a members-only t-shirt.

GaStateParks.org/Paddling

COMBO PASS

Visitors looking to park hop can save even more by purchasing the new Combo Pass. The Combo Pass will give park-goers access to 64 Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites for no extra cost.

GaStateParks.org/Retail vp

Atlanta’s Chattahoochee Bend State Park

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Valley Parent | JULY 2022

Photos courtesy of Georgia Department of Natural Resources

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F U N WAY S T O

Prevent Summer Learning Loss 1

Education experts have known for some time that kids who don’t go to school year ‘round experience summer learning loss. Statistics on summer learning loss vary depending on the study. But those studies most commonly cited have found kids lose, on average, 2.6 months of math and two months of reading skills over the summer. Other studies have found varying results, most notably; those in lowerincome families tend to have more significant learning loss during the summer than kids from higher-income families. Experts believe this is primarily attributed to the lack of resources available to lowerincome families and in more impoverished communities.

The good news, however, is there are ways to reduce your child’s summer learning loss. You can help your kids by providing them with plenty of educational and enrichment opportunities throughout the summer months ahead. The following fun activities will keep your kids’ brains active. These activities will also help kids retain what they learned throughout the school year or even expand upon it.

by Kimberly Blaker

Keep ‘em reading.

Public libraries offer an array of summer programs for kids. Take your kids to the library often for special programs. Also, have them bring home a selection of books to read during the summer.

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Play word, money, number and logic games.

Look for board, video, and computer games, particularly those that have won educational awards. Also, search online for ideas for boardless games that don’t require materials. Another idea is to JULY 2022 | Valley Parent

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turn it into an art activity. Have your kids create their own board game to play.

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your library. Then have your child read through and choose some experiments to do. Your child will learn a lot just from reading about the different experiments.

Then they’ll have a blast pulling them off.

Incorporate learning into your travel.

Before you go on your family vacation, do some advance research. Look for science centers, history museums and historical sites to build into your trip. Then have your kids join you in mapping out the trip. This will help keep geography fresh in their minds while also learning map skills.

4

Summer journaling

Give your kid a journal to write in. It can be fancy or just a spiral notebook. If your child hasn’t kept a journal before, suggest they spend 20 minutes writing in it every night about their day’s adventures and activities. Let your kid know it’s their private journal and promise not to read it unless they choose to share it with you. This might

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Valley Parent | JULY 2022

encourage your child to invest more time and thought into their journaling.

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Messy science

If there’s anything kids love, it’s making messes. So summer is the perfect time for messy science experiments they can do outdoors. Pick up a kids’ science experiment book from

Summer camp

Look for a summer camp that has a strong emphasis on learning activities. It could be one that offers an array of activities that support a variety of subjects. There are also many summer camps with a particular focus like the National Infantry Museum’s Adventure Through Time. Campers learn leadership skills, team building, military history and Army values with exploring nature and making arts and crafts.

7

Workbooks or puzzle books

Give your child a workbook for the grade level he or she just finished.

Have your child work on it throughout

the summer to keep what they learned fresh in their mind. Another fun option is puzzle books available in most subject areas. There are mathematical, logic, word search, crossword puzzle books and more.

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Baking and cooking

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Form a neighborhood or friends book club.

This helps kids in both math and science. Have your kids choose a recipe they’d like to make, but have them make half a batch or triple the batch.

This will require them to calculate the measurements.

This can be done in a couple of different ways, depending on the age of your kids.

Kids of similar ages can choose one book each week for everyone to read. Then they can meet to talk about the book they read. They can discuss the plot and

characters, what they liked about it, didn’t like and their take away from it.

Another type of book club, especially for younger kids, will require more parent involvement. Create a logging system so each child can keep a record of the books

they’ve read. At the end of the summer, hold a pizza party for all the participants.

Create homemade certificates and give out inexpensive prizes to all the participants. Then honor the winner with a special award. vp

JULY 2022 | Valley Parent

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BACKYARD GAMES Will Always Be Favorites

by Katy M. Clark Summer is finally here, but your kids are on the couch, staring at their devices or claiming that they are bored. Get them up and outside with these fun backyard games.

Some are classic and some are more modern, but all of them will get your kids moving, playing and having fun!

Freeze Tag

This variation of the classic game of tag involves players freezing whenever “It” tags them. They must stay frozen as “It” tries to tag the other players, but they can unfreeze and rejoin the game if another player tags them. The game ends when “It” freezes all players.

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Valley Parent | JULY 2022

Blob Tag

Another variation of tag, Blob Tag gets its name from the blob that grows over the course of the game. “It” chases the other players and tries to tag them. If tagged, a player joins “It” by linking hands or elbows, forming a blob of two. This new blob continues to chase the other players, adding to its blob as others are tagged.

Blind Man’s Bluff

One player is designated “It” and is blindfolded. To start the game, “It” spins around five times as the other players disperse around the yard. Now “It” tries to find the others, who must stay rooted in the spot they landed when “It” stopped spinning. Players can dodge and duck from the seeking “It,” but they can’t move their feet. “It” moves around the yard until all the players are found while whoever gets caught first wears the blindfold for the next round.

Red Light, Green Light

A player is the traffic light, standing at one end of the yard. The other players line up on the opposite end of the yard.

The traffic light turns away from the other players and says, “Green light!”

Players try to run as quickly as they can towards the traffic light. At any time, the traffic light can turn around and say, “Red light!” That’s when all players must freeze. If they are spotted moving, the traffic light sends them back to the start.

The first player to reach the traffic light wins and gets to be the next traffic light.

Sharks & Minnows

One child is the shark and stands in the middle of the yard. The other kids are the minnows and line up at one end of the yard. The object is for the minnows to get from one end of the yard to the other without being caught, aka tagged, by the

shark. If tagged, then the minnow also becomes a shark. The game is repeated as the number of sharks grows. The last minnow is the winner.

player to reach “Mother” wins and gets to be the next “Mother”. This game invites creativity, too, because players can ask to take baby steps, giant steps or even spins.

Water Balloon Catch

Hopscotch

Players stand across from each other tossing a balloon. After each successful catch, players take one step back. As the distance between players increases, so does the likelihood of popping the water balloon. If the thought of filling water balloons makes you tired (!), then try tossing bean bags or eggs instead.

Mother, May I

Like Red Light, Green Light, one player, “Mother”, stands at one end of the yard.

All other players line up at the other end of the yard. Players take turns asking “Mother” if they may take 1, 2, 3 or more steps forward. “Mother” answers “Yes, you may.” or “No, you may not.” The first

Players draw and number a hopscotch grid, usually 10 squares. Start by tossing a rock or beanbag onto Square 1. Hop over the square on one foot, going up, then down the grid. Players stop on Square 2 to pick up their marker from Square 1. Repeat, tossing the marker to Square 2 and so on. For added difficulty, players lose a turn when they fall, touch a line with their feet or miss tossing their marker onto the next square.

So get the kids up and outside playing with these backyard games. Maybe you’ll join in the fun, too. And if the crowd tires of these games, don’t forget the likes of sidewalk chalk, bubbles, jump ropes, hula hoops and nature walks to beat summer boredom. vp

JULY 2022 | Valley Parent

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Calendar JUNE

June 1-Jul 29 Butterflies 101 at Callaway Gardens On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10:30 and 2:00 (30 minutes) at the Day Butterfly Center, become a butterfly expert. Learn all about butterflies with this in-depth look at the fascinating details of these incredible creatures.

Cost: Free with Callaway Gardens admission More info: CallawayGardens.com

June 4-July 30 Market Days on Broadway Each Saturday, four blocks along Broadway host over 200 local and regional vendors. Visitors can expect to find fresh and organic produce, home goods, jewelry, unique crafts and delicious baked goods. Market Days is the perfect Saturday activity for family, friends and visitors. Pets are allowed.

Cost: Free More info: AlwaysUptown.com

6-10 Painting with a Twist Day Art Camp Campers will “Seas The Day” through paintings and other related activities regarding the sea. A snack will be provided each day. The week will end with an art show on Friday at noon.

Cost: weekly rate $175, daily rate $45 More info: Paintingwithatwist.com/studio/Columbus

JULY

1-4 Callaway Gardens’ Star Spangled Beach Party Celebrate summer days and starry nights with a weekendlong July 4th Star Spangled Beach Party. Enjoy three days of food, family and fun on the sunny shores of Robin Lake with beach volleyball, putt-putt and water sports. Each day ends with a bang thanks to the nightly Fireworks Extravaganza.

Info and tickets: CallawayGardens.com

4 Little Sprouts at the Columbus Botanical Garden Little Sprouts is a 30-45 minute lesson on a feature of the Garden and its connection to nature and science. The class is designed as an exposure experience in which there are three parts: sit and get either through a talk, piece of literature or a presentation; exploration through a hands-on experience which can look like a game, scavenger hunt, data collection activity; and a craft which ties the two experiences together.

Info and tickets: ColumbusBotanicalGarden.org

19, 20 Paw Patrol Live at the Columbus Civic Center Nickelodeon’s hit show Paw Patrol is on a roll with two live shows.The whole family will enjoy heroic characters, fun songs and dances, interactive elements and captivating storylines.

Info and tickets: CivicCenter.ColumbusGA.gov

See more local events at ValleyParent.com 12

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YO U R LO CAL PARE N TIN G RESO U RC E

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Prevent Summer Learning Loss 9 F U N WAY S

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Academy Dance Center Acute Care Express All About Kids Learning Center Devica Alappan, MD Angel Academy Aranas & Stitt, OB/GYN Bare Ware Pottery Basilio Pediatrics Behavioral Health Partners Bluebelle Artist Market The Blushing Brunette Boutique Julie Braddy-Roberts, MD Regina Carpenter, MD Center Pharmacy Central Christian Church Central OBGYN Chambers OB/GYN Ritu Chandra, MD Chick-fil-a Bradley Park Childcare Network (Hamilton Rd) Clement Arts Columbus Children’s Dentistry Columbus Clinic Columbus Museum Columbus Pediatrics Columbus Public Library Columbus Regional Family Practice Columbus Roberts Center CSU Elizabeth Bradley Turner Ctr. Curves for Women (Phenix City) Curves for Women (Veterans) Dinglewood Pharmacy Divine Childcare Learning Ctr. James Dorchak, MD Easter Seals Miranda Y. Edwards, MD Fairview Baptist Preschool The Family Center Family Physicians of Columbus First Baptist Church Child Dev./PC Foot & Ankle of West Ga. Fort Benning Housing Services Fountain City Coffee Generations Knowledge & Care Ctr. Goo Goo Car Wash (Manchester Exp) Great Beginnings Child Care Greystone Falls Greystone at Columbus Park Greystone Inverness Growing Room Growing Room Too Hollywood Connection Imagination Station

Imagination Station Too International Friendship Ministries Joyful Journeys Childcare Just for Kids Kool Smiles Blake Lane, Orthodontist Mark Lawrence, DDS La Bella Party and Tea Lil’ Rascals Resale & Boutique Little Angels Child Dev. Ctr. Little Paws Preschool James Lopez, DMD Thomas Malone, MD Mathnasium Mica’s Child Development Ctr. Mickayla’s Place Midtown Medical Center Midtown OBGYN Mildred L. Terry Library My Gym Necco Foster Care North Columbus Library Northside Recreation Center OBGYN Associates Lirio E. Palmos, MD Panvelkar & Panvelkar, MD Pastoral Institute Pediatric Rehab Pediatrics at Brookstone Ctr. Phenix City-Russell County Library Pierce Chapel Methodist Preschool Polka-Dots Early Childhood Dev. Ctr. Preppy Pets Project Launch Puddle Jumpers Child Enrichment Ctr. Rising Star Child Development Ctr. Rivertown Pediatrics Russell County DHR Second Avenue Animal Hospital Jeffrey Serff, DMD Smiths Station Baptist Church Smiths Station Pharmacy St. John AME Church St. Luke Early Learning Ctr. St. Mark UMC Child Dev. Ctr. Lisa Alexander Strickland, DMD Summerville Baptist Preschool Sylvan Learning Center Nora Tan-Ngo, MD Toni’s Dancing Studio TSYS Childcare Center Uptown Pediatrics West Georgia Pediatrics Wynnton UMC Pre-school ZÖe Pediatrics

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Valley Smiles Send your photos and captions to ContactUs@ValleyParent.com.

Headed to church, Noah and Nehemiah Manning were all decked out in their Easter clothes.

Emma Hyatt, and her brother, Zachary Bradley, had a great night at the RiverCenter with the tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that they won from Valley Parent.

Carrington Dimitri, and her dad, Tony, got all dressed up for the DaddyDaughter Dance.

Adriti Shrivastava fully embraced the Easter egg hunt, even wearing eggs in her braids.

Laura Beth, Anna Kate and Evie Kirkland were ready to hunt eggs after Easter service at St. Matthew’s Inthe-Pines Episcopal Church in Seale.

Lucille and Hazel Riggin worked on a Palm Sunday art project at Hatchechubbee Methodist Church Sunday School.

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