LEONARD GRAY

Summer is prime parent-child time It’s summertime and the feelings are good. The weather is balmy, with a little rain from time to time (knock wood!), thoughts of vacation trips pepper the office chatter, and the children are out of school. Wait. Hold that thought. With all the good feelings a change in season sometimes brings, let’s keep in mind the children. They need attention from their parents, now that school is out. A prime time for bored children to find other people to pay attention to them is when their parents are preoccupied with their own lives, and parents need to be mindful of that fact. It’s not enough to plan a family trip. Every day, parents need to know who their children are with and what they are doing. It’s just common sense. LEONARD GRAY is assistant managing editor of L’Observateur.