APPLETON (NBC 26) — Soon, thousands of kids will be off for summer break. While that's great news for them, it can be a stress trigger for their parents, who are trying to keep them busy and safe.
For ages 13 to 15, it’s even harder, too old for camp, too young to work, and craving independence.
"What do I do with my 13-year-old all summer?"
It’s a common question parents ask themselves this time of year.
Dr. Eric Rueff, a child and adolescent psychiatrist with Fox Valley Psychiatry, says that age can be a critical stage of development:
"It's a stage in life where they're really trying to, like, find who they are and experience new things."
But too much unsupervised freedom can bring more than boredom.
"So I see teenagers that start to get in kind of like a blah state," Rueff says."Then sometimes that can spiral into actual depression or actual anxiety disorders."
That isolation can build over the summer and create social challenges once school starts again.
"And then when they start back school, they can have anxiety of, like, I haven't seen that person a long time. Are they going to, like, hang out with me?"
Appleton Assistant Superintendent Sheree Garvey sees the impact, too:
"Middle schoolers need structure. It doesn't come naturally," Garvey says. "There's social regression that we sometimes have when students are not engaged with their friends and engaged in healthy activities."
To help, AASD schools are offering:
- Half-day summer school
- Afternoon care at some middle schools
- Free summer food service program
- Free Valley Transit rides with a school ID.
"They could go to summer school in the morning, they could go to an extended day learning program in the afternoon until 5:30 at night," Garvey explains.
The YMCA of the Fox Cities is also stepping up with options tailored to teens.
Jolene Gross from YMCA Appleton says:
"We run a teen program out at our Fox West location. Our Camp Nan A Bo Sho and our Camp Shioc programs both offer counselors and training or leaders-in-training classes or opportunities."Rueff says it’s not just about filling time, it’s about keeping teens connected.
"Valuing the small moments is where happiness is."
He supports independence, but teens still need support.
"I think independence is great. I think teens need autonomy, right?" Dr. Rueff says. "Set up with that experience, that opportunity for them to have a hangout, have a group, you know, togetherness, and you're gonna give them that nudge, and then they take it from there."
