Mom worries about keeping kids busy

Q: I am a busy single mom with no family in the area. My kids are 10 and 12.

I can’t always be there. It’s not that I leave them at home a lot, but I worry that with nothing to do, they can get into trouble. I have to work and they are good kids, so I don’t know how they will turn out.

A: Certainly, it is not uncommon to be a single mom with no support. It is also natural that you would be concerned for your kids managing with little supervision or nothing to do. While you didn’t come out and say it, it was as if I also heard the saying, “The devil makes work of idle hands.”

In situations as you describe, it can be really helpful to connect kids to community supports and activities.

One such support available in many communities is your local Boys and Girls Club, which typically has a drop-in centre as well as regular programs of interest to kids of all ages. These are usually very affordable and the programming is geared toward skill and confidence development.

Your local YMCA and YWCA also offer programs for children of all ages, as do city operated parks and recreation centres.

I highly recommend any of these organizations and programs. As your kids become engaged in these activities, they can develop life skills and make new friends. They will have fun in the process, not even realizing they are learning along the way.

Your kids may be shy or reluctant at first and need your encouragement and support to go on a regular basis.

But once they get involved, they’ll be hooked.

YWCA: http://ywcahamilton.org; YMCA: www.ymcahbb.ca; Boys and Girls Club: http://www.kboysandgirlsclub.com; Parks and Recreation: www.hamilton.ca/parksrecreation

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