Okay, $2000 a month right?
Here we go.......
Sit down with your kid and find out what they are truely passionate about. When you narrow it down, whatever you do don't be cheap.
Let's say it's horses, well figure out what style of riding they are interested in whether it's english/western and find a great teacher. Have them taking a couple lessons a week. If they are doing well, leasing a horse or even doing a half lease is an option.
I'll remind you again....don't be cheap. $2000 is actually much less then what you would be spending on a TBS anyway.
Let's say your kid loves to play guitar. Well, buy him the instrument, and get him into lessons. Make it fun, and plan not only concerts, but fun overnighters in another cities.
Let's say they love art.......start out by going to museums....and taking them out for fun lunches or dinners. Figure out the type of art they would like to do then buy whatever it is they need to be sucessful, and get them a great teacher.
Let's say your kid doesn't really know what their intrests are??? Well, get on it! Start spending time with your kids. You can plan fun weekend activities, which I understand can be seasonal. You can get the family together for river rafting. You can rent a boat or jet skis out at a lake. You can take everyone snow skiing, whale watching or whatever!!! I think that it is important in the beginning to make it family only, and you can explain to your kids that you want to re-connect/bond with them. Later on down the line you can rotate your kids friends through the different activities. Use it as a reward for them to invite a friend.
I think what happens is we get so caught up in life, and we think oh we can't afford to do that. Well, in the end we end up spending the money anyways. If your kids are not stimulated through positive activities, and hobbies....they will find their own hobbies that you may not approve of, and that could cause long term problems. Having kids costs money. Not only that, but it is time consuming. Doing one big summer vacation a year is not nearly enough. A year may go by rather quickly for us adults, but for kids it moves at a much slower pace.
For those of you that swear that you have done this for your kids, and they still turned out to be rotten! Well, I am afraid you waited too long. If you don't have them focused on hobbies at an early age, then you run the risk of their minds becoming interested in things that might not be good for them. If you find you are already in trouble, and haven't been proactive....and need to combine therapy with all this, that is fine, you say they refuse to go? Well, use all these things I've discussed as rewards for going.
Good luck!
