Where the Wild Things Hang Out

Where the Wild Things Hang Out

Make Your Home the Place Your Kids and Their Friends Want To Be

(ARA) - Remember when you were young and there was one house on the block where all the kids hung out? It had a pool in the back yard or a ping pong table in the basement. Because of that house, your parents always had a good idea where you were and who you were with. Now that you're a parent, you probably remember that house fondly and are looking to recreate that place for your children and establish that peace of mind for yourself.

Every parent knows that giving kids a place to have fun with their friends is very important. The American Academy of Pediatrics, in a report called "The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds" states, "Parents should make sure (kids) are not being overloaded with activities and tasks that are designed to do them good, but could end up having the opposite effect."

"Too many children in the United States have to give up free play time because their parents, in a bid to help them do well, send them to classes and encourage them to take part in "development activities." Several pediatricians are finding that some children are becoming stressed. They are not getting enough downtime."

Making your home the place where the neighborhood kids gather allows you to know where your child is, and provides the added benefit of knowing they're safe, while encouraging unstructured play.

To do this, many parents have chosen to finish their basement, turning it into a hangout space for their children and their friends. The basement is a great option, as it gives them their own space while allowing you to be close by in case you're needed. And, since kids tend to make a mess when they're together, having a basement for them leaves the rest of your house in much better shape.

Jodi Remensperger, mother of an 11-year-old boy in Portland, Ore., loves having her basement available for her son's friends to come over. "Our basement is great for Tyler and his friends," says Remensperger. "I love that they're all having fun together and I know where they are and that they're safe. Having Tyler's friends come to our house is also a great way for me to know who he's hanging around with and what they're up to. And, since they're in the basement, they can be doing their thing while my husband and I are upstairs doing ours and we don't get in each other's way."

Not every house has finished basement space like the Remensperger's, however. And finishing a basement isn't easy. Even for experienced do-it-yourselfers, it can be challenging and time consuming. It can take weeks or months to complete a basement remodeling, and the dust from construction can linger.

Now there's another option available to homeowners. Designed and built by the experts at Owens Corning, the Basement Finishing System was created specifically for the basement environment. It can be installed in as little as two weeks with virtually no mess. The Basement Finishing System features insulated walls that are mold and mildew resistant and are easily removable to allow access to the home's foundation, plumbing or electric wiring. In addition, it may qualify homeowners to claim up to a $500 energy tax credit under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Every parent knows how noisy kids can get when they're together. But the walls of the Basement Finishing System absorb 95 percent of sound, confining the din to the basement. In addition, the walls are durable and scratch- and stain-resistant, so a little roughhousing or a game of indoor football is unlikely to damage your new space.

So look at your basement to give your kids a place they'll look back on with fondness when they have children. Make your house the place on your block for your kids and their friends to hang out safely.

For more information on Owens Corning Basement Finishing System, call (800) Basement or visit www.basementfinishingsystem.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent