3 WAYS TO MENTALLY PREPARE YOUR KIDS FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR
A DEADLY VACATION
As I write this article, I am on a wonderful family vacation cruise to Alaska. Of course, one of the main choices to be made is which tours to take while on land. For Alaska, excursions such as whale watching and taking a helicopter ride to a nearby glacier for dog-sledding sound particularly enticing. But as I think about my many choices, my mind drifts to the recent duck boat tragedy, where 31 people who were also on vacation decided to take a duck boat tour in the Branson, Missouri, area. Out of 31 passengers, 17 drowned. The youngest was 1, the oldest was 76, and 9 of those 17 deaths were from the same family. I cannot even imagine the grief that these families are suffering. On July 19, 2018, the tour operator known as Ride the Duck Branson intentionally chose money over people. If you have never done a duck boat tour, it basically involves riding in an amphibious vehicle that can be driven both on land and on water. These tours are big business in tourist areas, and we have at least one such tour right here in Galveston, Texas. But the threat in this situation did not come just from being on the tour itself. No, the threat in this situation arose from how the tour was operated. You see, this duck boat company had been warned that the canopies on these types of boats should be removed because of the potential to trap people inside the vehicle. The warning stemmed from a federal study that was done after 13 people drowned in a similar situation in Arkansas in 2002. And in this case, the canopy did in fact entrap these victims, dragging them down to the bottom of the lake. But it gets worse. This duck tour operator knew there was a bad storm coming and actually changed their route so that they could get out on the water fast in an effort to beat the storm. Further, not one of the victims was found wearing a life jacket, even though the boat contained many life jackets. So, what should I do? Should I just avoid taking my family on cruises? Maybe I should just avoid cruises and vacations altogether! Of course, we know that in life, we take risks every day. The key is to minimize the risk. For me, that means looking at online reviews and the cruise ship recommendations. For me — and probably for most of us — we realize that there is some risk to any activity. But no company should purposefully put profit over people. What happened on this duck boat tour should never have happened. There is only one explanation for the action of the tour boat operator, and that explanation is greed. And, while I have handled many cases involving these types of inexcusable behaviors, I will never tire of fighting for my clients who have suffered such great losses. And the worst part of the story — the most outrageous part — is that their deaths were completely avoidable.
It may not feel like it yet, but summer is coming to a close, and summer break is ending along with it. Soon, the kids will be back to early morning breakfasts before the school bus arrives and late-night study sessions. Thankfully, there are some steps your family can take during these closing weeks of summer to ensure your kids hit the ground running this school year. Set an Early Bedtime For many kids, summer schedules are flexible. They may have become accustomed to sleeping in and staying up late without any obligations. Getting back into the rhythm of the school year can take some getting used to. In fact, according to psychologist Cherie Valeithian, it can take upward of two weeks to properly adjust to a new sleep-wake cycle. So why not give your kids a head start and ensure they begin the school year bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? Outline a Homework Schedule Resuming a homework regimen can be a difficult transition for some kids. Late summer, when they don’t have assignments to worry about yet, can be a great opportunity to help them prepare a study schedule. Ask the following questions to help them get started: “Do you want to dive right into homework when you get home? Do you need to accommodate for a sport or extracurricular activity? Do you work best when doing your assignments in one large chunk, or would you prefer taking breaks in between assignments?” Your kids may find that last year’s schedule doesn’t work for them this year. Emphasize that this is okay; part of growing up is learning how and when you work most effectively. Don’t be afraid to help them switch things up as the school year progresses. Ask Your Kids HowThey Feel Maybe your kids are excited about the school year. Maybe they are anxious, or perhaps they’re just disappointed to see summer vacation come to an end. Starting a dialogue about the aspects of school your kids are looking forward to and those they’re dreading can help you dispel myths and identify problem areas. More than anything else, this can help your kids feel at ease about the coming year.
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