
DATE: Sunday, July 20, 1997                 TAG: 9707190105

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Cover Story 

SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  130 lines

HOT FOR FUN IT'S MID-POINT IN THE SUMMER VACATION. TIME TO BATTLE BOREDOM.

IT'S MID-SUMMER, hot-hot-hot. Your air conditioner and television set are beckoning, practically urging you to prop and pop - prop your feet, pop some popcorn, turn up the a/c, turn on the tube.

Instead of being a baked potato, you can be a couch potato - gape at the unclean soaps, listen to questionable people complain about their questionable friends and relatives.

Are your children involved in that ``learning'' experience this summer?

Just about all of the 10 moms and dads we talked to about their youngsters' summertime activities turned out to be parents truly interested in their children.

For most of them, summertime seems to be a good mix of fun and learning.

When one mother was asked about her son's seasonal activities, she said, ``he keeps himself busy. He goes to summer school.''

The youngster winced, but most of the other children we saw and heard about were having a good healthy, worthwhile, enjoyable time.

Many of those we spoke to were visiting the Suffolk YMCA, others were doing some shopping.

Doug Vaughan, Suffolk: ``What do we do? You see it,'' he said, pointing to his in-the-pool sons.

``And, we go camping a lot in the mountains. Parents who just let their kids watch TV - - it makes the kids idle - they're not using their minds. Ours watch television an hour a day. We read, do puzzles.''

The children are Taylor, 6 and Max, 4.

Kim Bogaard, Smithfield: ``We've been at the Y almost every day this summer.

``It's important for the kids to be comfortable in the water - and, it's a nice, cool thing for them.

``Lauren is also taking Spanish lessons from the next door neighbor's baby sitter.

``When I was a kid I swam more than I read books.

``With my kids, I'm pushing reading a lot. That's the secret to everything in school success. Lauren is 6 and reads on a 5th grade level.''

The children are Lauren, 6 and Kela, 3.

Sarah Utley, Suffolk: ``I still haven't found my way around. I just moved here from Savannah, so right now the kids are home with me.

``But, I'm checking into recreational opportunities - and, I'm looking for a job.''

The children are Bianca, 7 and Melanie, 3.

Jeanette Gardner, Suffolk: ``The children come to the Y and play in

the pool. That's about it. Oh, we work in the yard and in the garden. Television's not fit to watch. They do something physical.''

The children are Tiffany, 14 and Brandon, 12.

Piper Comer, Raleigh, visiting her cousin, Sara in Suffolk: ``When I was a kid, we'd go to the pool, shopping, to the park, out for ice cream, ride bikes. We'd run the sprinklers at home. My cousin goes to the pool, she's on the Y swim team, and takes tennis lessons.''

The cousin is Sara, 6.

Gina Jackson, Suffolk: ``We come to the Y, day and night. I do aerobics, the kids go to the playroom. I also take them strawberry picking, fishing at Lake Cohoon every other day. They spend some days at nana's (grandma, that is) house. We go to the beach and on camping trips on a river in northern Virginia. We go out and have fun.''

The children are Lindsey, 3 1/2 and J.R., 2.

Regina Clark, Suffolk: ``What do we do in the summer? This is pretty much it,'' she said, pointing to her children in the Y pool. ``I take the kids to different parks. They like anything with forts so I take them to Mount Trashmore.''

The children are son Ryan, 4, and granddaughter Jessie, 2 1/2.

Michael Milteer, Suffolk: ``My daughter is at the Y all day. My wife and I teach. In the summer, we both work here. We take our daughter to the library twice a week to read. Also, she loves all outdoor activities. We've been to Water Country and visited family in North Carolina. We relax, then back to school.''

The daughter is Brittany, 4.

Sharon Person, Suffolk: ``They go outside and play with the neighbors - and they watch teevee.''

The children are Terell, 15 and Desmond, 12.

Lynnell Chapman, Suffolk: ``I take my baby to the pool. Sometimes, I read so she can learn. And, we play games, like marbles. Things like that keep children from going in the wrong direction.''

The baby is Gelisa, 1 1/2.

There is still a lot of summertime left - thank you, Lord - so, children, enjoy the rest of it.

Go places, do things, have fun. Toss a little learning in there for good measure. ILLUSTRATION: KEEPING KIDS BUSY

[Cover, Color photo]

MICHAEL KESTNER

The Virginian-Pilot

Vaughan

Bogaard

Utley

Gardner

Comer

Jackson