Little League and Summer Vacation

The Little League World Series is winding down and we are closing in on the end of summer. Kids will be heading back to school and this Friday will bring us the first Friday night football games.

As all the tiny humans head back to school, remember to be careful out there. Kids aren’t great at paying attention so make sure you are being extra attentive at corners, near schools and just in general.

Parents, please remind your little ones to be extra aware. Maaaaybe consider glancing up from their phones every now and again. At the very least, let’s keep the volume low enough to hear what’s going on around them.

I always feel like back to school is a good time to remind parents about phone/social media safety.

We live in a world where bullying runs rampant. Kids these days don’t even seem to try and be discreet about it. So make sure your kids know where to go to find help if they find themselves being bullied, or see someone else being bullied.

Let them know they can always come to you, or another trusted adult. Let them know that teachers, guidance counselors, and school administrators can always help too.

Most schools have developed a zero-tolerance policy regarding bullying, but since we live in such a digital age, kids can be walking around with bullies in their ‘pocket’.

Please make sure that you are ‘friends’ with your kids on Facebook and ‘following’ them on Instagram and Twitter. It’s so much easier for kids to be bullied by faceless screen names. It is also important that you have the usernames and passwords to these accounts. It may seem like an invasion of privacy, but these social media tools aren’t their diaries. Checking up on their online and text messaging activities is an easy way to cut potential bullying — and other less-than-appropriate activities — off at the pass.

You are paying for your child’s phone. And they are living under your roof. Therefore you are the keeper of the gate. It only takes one bad decision to cause a world of trouble for your child, so make sure that you are paying attention to what they are doing.

For those heading back to the classroom, I hope you have the best year ever.

Remember, that as you go along your days, it costs nothing to be kind. You never know what someone else is going through, or dealing with, so please be nice.

There’s no reason for going out of your way to be an a–, I mean a jerk or to bully someone else.

I’m not so naïve to think that everyone is going to get along with everyone else, and that’s fine. Just have a heart. And remember — If you can’t be nice, be quiet.

Be safe out there!