Treats For Your Kids

 

What kind of thing do you consider a treat?   Food? Games? Screen time? Candy ? I decided that Theme Parks would be a fabulous treat for my kids, so I made a big sacrifice and took them to Sea World. While we sat and watched the Sea Lion and Otter show I wondered how much of a treat this really was for them? I thought of the cost and cringed, hoping they were having a good time.
 

They seemed to enjoy the park, but honestly I think they would not have been as excited about the day if their cousins would not have been a part of it. I was very glad that we invited them to join us.  All around  the park were little tots enjoying the water park and the sea animals and the rides, but I couldn't tell if my kids were enjoying their cousins and people watching more than the rides and shows. Theme parks have an excitement about them for sure, but SeaWorld for my kids was probably getting old, by this point because we live in San Diego and had year round passes we were going more than enough.            

                We all need social interaction, but teens and adolescents seem to make choices depending on each other, this is why it's critical to know who your kids are being influenced by. We parents need to know to some degree their friends too. My kids are social butterflies and they truly enjoy their friends, whether that's in SeaWorld or at the beach or even in the backyard!  Don't get me wrong, SeaWorld puts on a great show. In this show the animals were great! the trainers handled their animals well and the actors performed great!  Another great show was the Blue Horizons presentation which featured the dolphins, whales and acrobats! But it was more of a treat when they enjoyed it with their friends/cousins. 

So parents I encourage you to consider the cost of the treats your giving your kids and be sure to include their friends once in a while.