Playdates may be a little rough when children are younger, but that all changes once they start to mature. Check out the many valuable benefits of prepping your home to be the hangout house for your kids and their friends.
1. Peace of Mind
When kids gather at your house to play video games, swim in the pool, or work on a homework assignment, you know exactly where they are. You’ll have peace of mind and won’t be left wondering if they’re getting into mischief elsewhere.
2. A Personal Level
As children age, their friends’ influence grows. Being the hangout house means you’ll have the luxury of getting to know each of those friends on a more personal level. As they become comfortable, many of them will view you as a second parent, which is a special, hard-earned term of endearment. Believe me – you want to be the second parent.
3. Fond Memories
A home full of laughter, jokes, and silly games is a happy one, and one that you’ll have the privilege to enjoy. Your kids are going to look back on their childhood as adults and recall these memories. Not only will they think of you and the way they were raised fondly, but they will most likely model that for their future children as well.
4. Quality Time
Teenagers naturally gravitate toward their friends and begin to separate from their parents. This is a normal stage of development that leads to independence, which is necessary in adulthood. Hosting the hangout house, however, gives you the opportunity to continue spending time with your kids, and you gain access to your child’s world in a very special way.
5. How Do You Become the Hangout House?
Host their friends joyfully; remember, your kids can tell if you’re faking it, and your hospitality means infinitely less if they see you don’t want to have their friends around. Encourage them to invite friends over. Sooner or later, your kids will grow up and leave and the house will be quiet, so enjoy it while it lasts. Buy tons of snacks, bake some cookies, and provide fun activities like a basketball hoop, gaming system, or pool. Make sure your children and their friends know the rules, but also make sure they know how happy you are to have them over.
The private elementary school, Lake Forrest Prep, is excited to offer additional tips on raising children and how to encourage an atmosphere of learning and growing. Contact Lake Forrest Prep if you’d like to learn more.
