The Summer Break Behavior Boot Camp

Six weeks into Summer Break, my kids FINALLY listen to me. They are kind and respectful, and they play well together. Are your kids still struggling with bad habits they learned at school? Follow along as I break down what we've done over the past six weeks to get back on track with Summer Break Behavior!

Teachers Are Amazing!

Let me start by saying I am a huge advocate for public school educators. My parents are retired school teachers, so I have first-hand knowledge of what teachers deal with daily. Teachers are working a job where they are expected to teach children but are not allowed to discipline them. Every teacher that Declan had last year was terrific. The administrators and staff do care for each and every child.

However, since teachers are not allowed to discipline, problem children are not handled efficiently. It is not the teachers' fault. It is the parents'/caregivers fault. These kids are SCREAMING for attention, and no one has taught them the difference between good attention and bad attention.

Situations in School

I witnessed a problem child barricade themselves under a table at the school book fair this year. The principals, teachers, aides, and volunteers could do nothing to get the child out from under the table. They are not allowed to touch the children. So what did they do?

One of the aides finally got the child out from under the table by making a deal with him. The deal was that if he could keep his attitude in check for the rest of the day, the school would call his Grandma to see if she would buy him the book he wanted. I followed up after the school day to find out that the child did not hold up their end of the deal. Shocking, isn't it?

People will come at teachers and tell them they need to do more. But, what more can they do? If they touch the child, the teacher will be fired, and parents will sue the school. Teachers and Administrators are fighting an uphill battle in our public school systems. Again, society has created an impossible scenario for teachers.

Good Kids Suffer

On the other side of this problem are the “good” kids. These children have been raised to respect their teachers and friends by listening, following orders, and being kind. These are the children who suffer when teachers can not control the problem children.

Teachers and Administrators have to cater to the problem children. They have to give more attention to the situation at hand. Often this leads to the “good” kids being sat down in front of a movie or given another coloring sheet while the staff tries to calm the problem child down. These situations aren't fair. It's not fair to the staff or the other kids.

Bad Habits Learned in School

My kids are not perfect. Not even close. However, my children and teachers know that if my kids are not doing as teachers told them, there will be consequences in our house. I can't say the same for every household because we all know that some kids are growing up in unloving and inattentive homes. It's sad.

Declan started to become a distraction in class. He is a squirrelly boy who loves attention. He also cannot stop talking no matter how hard he tries. Declan learned a lot this year about treating others with respect, knowing when it is time to work and play, and when it is appropriate to be upset.

During the school year, we would apply consequences for Declan's behavior. We took things away, had early bedtimes, and communicated with him so that he truly knew why he shouldn't act that way in school. He started to get better towards the end of the year, but then we hit Summer Break.

Summer Break Issues

Can we talk about kids fighting? Holy moly, those first couple weeks of our Summer Break were awful! Fighting over toys, talking horrible to each other, and constant resets were all we focused on. I was to the point that I was disciplining all day! The boys started to get a little bit better – but then new issues arose.

The Ungrateful Issues

Our family is extremely blessed that we do not have to go without for many things. So, we purchased a small pool in the backyard this summer, do a lot of crafts or science experiments, and the boys always get a toy when we go to Wal-Mart. I know; they are spoiled.

Our boys started to be so ungrateful about everything that they had. They would be in the pool and talk back to me. Like – What? No. We are not doing that. It was at this time that we implemented the Show Respect Boot Camp. It worked so that we could get the boys back on track regarding respect.

Being grateful, in my opinion, is directly tied to having respect. If you are ungrateful for what you have and express that, you are now disrespecting the person who provided it for you.

The Behavior Issues

As previously stated, my boys would not stop fighting each other. Right when summer break started, Bodie had a tough time adjusting to Declan being home every day. This meant that Bodie no longer had hours by himself to play; instead, he now had to share and coexist with his brother daily.

We implemented the 3-Day Boot Camp for Correcting Bad Behavior to combat this. Declan was sometimes involved, but for the most part, we used this method to get Bodie where he needed to be. We implemented the boot camp to correct selfishness, disrespect, and anger. After the boot camp, we could talk Bodie off the ledge when Declan was playing with something Bodie wanted.

The Summer Break Boot Camp

If your children are still getting into the groove of summer break, I highly recommend taking the time to get your kids' behaviors back in shape! While the Summer Break Boot Camp is not a stand-alone boot camp per se, it is a boot camp that is necessary! I like to bring awareness to different seasons of boot camps to provide you with scenarios where you could incorporate the boot camps.

Try to implement our previous boot camps, the Correcting Bad Behavior and the Show Respect Boot Camp, to get the needed results! We have bounced back and forth between these two boot camps for the last six weeks, and our boys are finally getting it together!

Tips and Tricks

Communicate with Your Child

Outside of the two boot camps mentioned above, I recommend communicating with your child. If you are a follower of Gentle Parenting, you know how important communication is to your children. However, when that communication is not received, it is time to implement the boot camps to gain your child's attention.

Give them reminders of how to interact in public, point out when they need to be cautious of the littles around them, and ensure they control their body. These are all areas that will significantly help them succeed in school.

Stand Firm

Don't give up! If you follow our boot camps and your kid is responsible for a little bit but then goes back to those unwanted and disrespectful behaviors, start the boot camp again! I promise the kids will recognize the importance of good behavior.

I also recommend keeping their meals and bedtimes as close to their schools' schedules as possible. Sometimes life makes consistency impossible, but for the most part, it is much more beneficial to your children to be on the same schedule.

Reward and Praise

Reward and praise your kids! Point out when your child shares with their siblings. Tell them you appreciate it when they respond with “yes, ma'am.” Reward them with a fun activity, with your attention fully committed to the activity, because ultimately, all that your children want is to be with you and feel like you are proud of them.

Always try to have an activity or somewhere to go planned on your calendar. This will allow you to give your children something to look forward to and help remind them that they need to earn that reward. Plus, this gives you another “item” you can take away to get their attention.

Consider a Side Hustle

Get a Side Hustle if needed! If you have spent countless hours entertaining your children this summer and need a little “me” time without feeling guilty, check out our SAHM Side Hustles post to find a hobby that makes you money. It is not against the rules for a SAHM to have something else to focus on besides their kids all day.

Prepare for Next School Year

Remember: the learned behaviors you teach your children during the summer SHOULD carry on to the next school year. Your child will know how to be respectful. They will understand the importance of being kind and recognize that misbehavior has consequences.

If you put the work in this summer break, communicate with next year's teachers! Tell them that you prefer to be informed of any misbehavior, ask them how they would like to be reached, and let them know that your child responds best to praise for good behavior! Teachers can also benefit from knowing any terminology you have introduced to your child. Think about character traits!

Conclusion

Boot Camp Mom has given you the tools and paths to take to get your children's behaviors back in shape! If you are still struggling with bad habits learned in school, put in the work now to get the results you need to continue enjoying your summer break. This is not a post against teachers or administrators; rather, it is an eye-opening approach to combatting any bad habits that other children or circumstances have brought out of your child.

Working with your children during summer break will help make them better students when school starts again. Get them used to obeying and being respectful. Show them praise and reward them when they are good humans! Make sure to tell your teachers that your children respond best to praise!