Summer lives in our imaginations throughout the year because it nourishes our souls. The warmth.... the fun.... the freedom... the sheer deliciousness. But mostly, the luxury of time, unbounded by school. Time to explore, to make new friends, to lie on your back and watch the clouds billow across a blue sky. The vivid aliveness and freedom of a child's summers can change her forever.

Does this sound like the summer your child is having? Or is he glued to an electronic screen? Or maybe she just has to get up early for camp, so you can get to work? Or maybe he's gotten so used to constant stimulation that he's complaining he's bored?

You CAN reclaim summer for your family. In fact, you can make this the best summer ever with your kids. It doesn't take travel or a lot of money. And you can do it even if you're working and your kids are in day camp. Click here to read more.

The most important piece of getting your kids ready for back to school is helping them have a positive attitude! After months of visiting friends whenever they can and playing outside to their hearts’ content, it can be tough to get kids excited about spending time in the classroom again. Ask your children questions like “what class/teacher are you most excited for?” or “who haven’t you seen this summer that you are excited to see when school starts?” Continuing to reinforce the positive aspects of going back to school can help build up your child’s own excitement.

Beyond instilling positive attitudes, there are other great ways to get your child ready for school:

How your child reacts to your pet's death will depend on their age and developmental level. When children display emotions like sadness, it's important to validate them.

Here's what you can do to help your child deal with the loss of a pet.