FOR KIDS, THE LAWN IS THEIR TURF NOW.(AT HOME)

Byline: MARY BETH BRECKENRIDGE Knight Ridder

AKRON, Ohio -- As every parent knows, having children sometimes requires changing your expectations.

That applies to your yard, too.

Golf-course-quality turf just doesn't jibe with the demands of active kids, so park your perfectionism at least until they're past the rough-and-tumble stage, advised Melinda Myers, a horticulturist and author of ``The Perfect Ohio Lawn'' (Cool Springs Press). That doesn't mean you can't have a nice yard; it just means that flawless expanses of emerald grass aren't worth the work, in her opinion.

Still, there are some things you can do to create a yard that's …