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We all strive for balance in anything that we do, because we all know that life is about balance and moderation. Even as a parent, we all want to look for that balance. I am very conscious about how I deal with my child as a parent. I don’t want to feel like i’m not being enough of a parent to my daughter, but I don’t want to hover over every move, too (just like what Julie Lythcott-Haims, the former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford shares in this video). But as a parent, finding that balance and guiding our children to find that balance is hard!

This summer I enrolled my daughter at her own school (since they were offering summer classes), McDonald’s Kiddie Crew, gymnastics and math classes. Believe me, I wasn’t over parenting. I did this because she clamoured for it. She kept asking me for activities to do. We told her that we’ll just do some stuff at home, and she said she wanted activities outside the house!

My little lady who’s off to school 🙂

With this, it got thinking about study-life balance. In this environment that we live in now, everything seems to be so cut throat. Competition here and there, and there doesn’t seem to be any room for relaxation. But relaxation and taking things easy is important. Living life AND enjoying it is something that we tend to forget. Since we forget that this should be the case, and that relaxation and enjoyment is actually crucial for self- awareness and self-development, we as parents tend to pass on the same expectations to our kids.

We make a list of what they should know and be doing at a certain age. We make unnecessary goals for them in our mind, and if they don’t meet those goals, we push them further or blame ourselves for not being the parent that we should be. I think what we need to help them with or help ourselves with is that we need to encourage study life balance. Our kids need to put enough effort into academics, but at the same time, we need to encourage them to have fun and relax at certain moments in their lives.

How do we encourage Study-Life Balance?

Keep things stress-free by having a time for relaxation.

Oftentimes, we keep track of the time that they spend for homework or studying. But, we don’t keep track of the time that they spend playing outdoors, time spent reading a book or just writing anything that they want, time spent going to the mall or watching a movie with family and friends. Let’s try to keep study time within “study time”. Let’s also monitor that our children get to see the sun and breathe fresh air.

See to it that your children get enough sleep.

We all know that sleep makes everything better. It helps the body return to that state of equilibrium. We need it and our kids need it, too!

Praise them not for achieving goals, but praise them for the Process or for “Being”

We’ve learned that we should praise our children not for getting high grades, but for trying or focusing or for the discipline that they show. We’ve learned to praise our daughter, too, not only for finishing her homework, but for discovering new things or being observant about things not related to studying or practicing her letters and numbers (she’s only 4, btw). We also praise her for day to day interactions like when she’s courteous to someone or when she exudes confidence, etc.

Travel to Learn; Discover things outside the Home or Classroom

Travel opens your children to new learnings. This is why I love Boardwalk, because this May, they have a Back to School Shop and Win Promo where participants can get a chance to win a trip to Hong Kong for four! The lucky winner of the Back to School Shop and Win Promo can take their family to see the breathtaking view of the city’s skyscrapers, glittering harbor and green hills at The Peak and have a taste of Hong Kong’s cuisine at the Temple Street Night Market. Boardwalk will take care of your flight and your 3-day/2-night accommodation for your family.

What I love about what Boardwalk is doing is that the winning family will have time to learn from this trip. They will see Hong Kong’s most popular tourist spots such as the historical Clock Tower, the popular Golden Bauhinia Square, and the Avenue of Stars where the most celebrated moments in Asia’s movie industry can be relived. They all can go shopping, too, and even admire one of the world’s most spectacular skylines while taking a stroll along the waterfront at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade.

What i’ve noticed with my daughter, too, is that she doesn’t forget trips like these. She clearly remembers our Universal Studios Singapore experience! So for the winning family, I’m sure your children won’t forget this trip since all 4 members of the family will be given an all-day access ticket to Hong Kong Disneyland!

It’s nice to prepare and be in Back to school mode, but it’s even nice to cap summer off with this wonderful trip. Check out the details and mechanics on how you can make your 2017 summer an unforgettable one at www.boardwalkshop.ph.

*A single-receipt online purchase of Back to School items worth P1,000 qualifies as one raffle entry. Promo is valid from April 17 to July 17, 2017.

Again, encourage study-life balance and let your child discover the world, enjoy and live it. Life is about balance! Even with that checklist of goals in our mind that we think they need to accomplish, it’s better that we let them create their own goals and dreams and just lead them down the path where they will discover these themselves.