Newspaper Page Text
School is out, time to the children
I can’t s school it just believe year me, or just tomorrow did fly this by? last is I
the first official day of sum¬
mer vacation. I had grandiose
plans of so many things I was
going to have done before
tomorrow, but time caught up
with me.
While I love the longer
days, the weather, boating at
the lake, and having generally
less kid-activities to work into
my schedule, I also cringe
when 1 think about how 1 will
work with the kids at home
and how long do 1 have before
the novelty of summer wears
thin and my children begin to
drive me crazy ?
1 know I’m not alone with
these thoughts. Many of my
friends complain about feeling
guilty about either doing too
much for their kids during the
summer (i.e. too many camps,
outings, etc), or not doing
enough (i.e. not enough struc¬
ture or emphasis on doing pro¬
ductive things as well as fun
things). Yes, being a mother
Manners come to of the South
N ot an nice too old guy, long friendship a ago, renewing I actual¬ met of a
ly, and I tried to fall in love
with him. 1 tried but I could
n’t.
He was from New Jersey.
Now, this isn’t to say that I
couldn’t fall in love with a
man from New Jersey. I think
1 could love Jon Bon Jovi. He
seems like a very nice man.
And though he has departed
from this earth, I have always
had a huge crush on Frank
Sinatra. So, that proves that 1
do have feelings for at least
two men from New Jersey.
But this recent one? This
one was really a no from the
get-go.
He had lots of good, solid
qualities. A real go-getter,
nice, and very handsome with
blonde hair, golden skin and
crystal blue eyes. Oh, and he
had beautiful hands, which is
something 1 always notice on
men. Long, slender fingers
that gestured gracefully.
But, in the end. the South
and the North found itself in
conflict once again.
Over lunch one day, he lis¬
tened intently as I conversed
with the waitress. Order com¬
pleted, she hurried off..
He placed his elbows on
the table and leaned closer.
“Why are you always so polite
to everyone?” He asked the
question in a nice but curious
way. There was no smart aleck
tone in his voice. He was gen¬
uinely perplexed.
I was taken aback and
showed it with my wide-eyed
expression. “What do you
mean?”
“You always call everyone
‘ma’am’ or ‘sir’ and you say
‘please’ and ‘thank you’ for
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home
matters
by Adlen
W.
Robinson
for the
Forsyth
County
News
means we have to manage or
at least loosely structure our
children’s down time as well
as their busy school year lives.
If you are getting a little
nervous thinking about the
dog days of summer with your
children, or if you would just
like to make the most of the
next eight or nine weeks or so,
read on for some tips and sug¬
gestions:
First and foremost, make a
plan. Sit down with your fami¬
ly and discuss what everybody
hopes to accomplish during
ixie
by
Ronda Rich
for the
Forsyth
County
News
it
Well, frankly, I think
the least I can do is
treat people with
those courtesy. Especially
who aren't as
blessed as I am.
Waiting tables is a
tough job. The least
I can do is to be
respectful.
everything.” He shrugged. “I
just find that interesting.”
“You don’t call people ‘sir’
or ‘ma’am’ ?” I asked.
“No!” He was emphatic.
“And I’m not going to, either.
Now, l might call an old man
who’s 90 years old ‘sir’, but
I’m not calling anyone else
that. No way. They haven’t
earned my respect. Why
would l call a waitress
‘ma’am’?”
Now. it was my turn to be
floored. The words: sir,
ma’am, please, thank you and
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the summer months. Older
children may need some help
outlining their own goals —
teens might want to list
“sleeping until noon,” as a
goal unless you give them
some guidelines. Even young
children can have goals for
their age learning to tie
their shoes or ride a bike, for
example.
All children should have
reading and/or scholastic
goals. Most schools have sum¬
mer reading lists — and all
children should be encouraged
to read above and beyond the
school’s requirements. The
library has a terrific summer
reading program, so that is a
great place to start.
Next, get out your family
calendar and schedule any
summer activities and outings
you would like to do together.
Work out a schedule with your
children that allows time for
working on goals and reading,
plus time for day-trips. Even if
your budget is limited, there
are plenty of things to do that
if you don’t mind are so
deeply ingrained in my con¬
scious mind that I use them
constantly. Regardless of age,
gender, ethnic background or
job status, I speak with cour¬
tesy to people. Unless, of
course, they have been bla¬
tantly rude to me then
Southern manners are momen¬
tarily disposed.
1 studied him for a moment
with complete astonishment.
“When you were growing up,
didn't your mama make you
call people ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’?”
He shook his head vigor¬
ously. “No, she didn’t. We
never had to address people
that way. That’s one thing I
don’t understand down here in
the South. I like the way peo¬
ple treat me here. It’s much
nicer and friendlier than up
North. But you guys take it
too far. Calling someone you
don’t even know ‘ma’am?” He
shook his head again. “That’s
way too much.”
1 narrowed my eyes and
folded my arms. This is the
moment that any glimmer of
hope for falling in love, died.
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While summer
should be about
slowing down and
enjoying more free
time r too much of a
are free or almost. I can
remember when our children
were very young, a trip to the
library, then on to the park for
a picnic was something we
often did three times a week.
If you do work from home,
it is important to be candid
with your children. Mom has
to work until a certain time,
and if all things are done, then
the reward will be to do some¬
thing fun together. If your
children will be staying home
alone during the day, make
Right then and there in a
Mexican restaurant in
Greenville, S.C., another bud¬
ding romance took a nose dive
and crashed.
“Well, frankly, I think the
least I can do is treat people
with courtesy. Especially
those who aren’t as blessed as
I am. Waiting tables is a tough
job. The least I can do is to be
respectful.”
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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Sunday, May 25. 2008
sure you provide a list of
things they should do. This
serves two purposes. It keeps
them focused and less bored,
plus they learn the responsibil¬
ity of getting their chores done
before fun.
Even with the best plans, it
is always a good idea to have
a few tricks up your sleeve.
Rainy days can be especially
boring for children, which can
lead to all sorts of bickering
among siblings. There are
plenty of craft books on the
market to give you specific
suggestions for projects, and
craft stores often offer project
classes for children as well.
While summer should be
about slowing down and
enjoying more free time, too
much of a good thing equals
boredom. By creating a plan
for you and your family, you
will feel more organized, get
more accomplished, and at the
same time create family mem¬
ories that will last a lifetime.
Lastly, remember that you
are creating memories with
We finished the meal with
awkward conversation that
stayed away from our differ¬
ences, especially one that
seemed as basic to me as
breathing.
We walked to my car, said
polite but distant good-byes
and that was that. Unlike the
Southern guys I have known,
he didn’t call to make sure I
had arrived home safely.
PAGE 3B
your children that last a life¬
time. Some of my fondest
memories from childhood
were things my family did
during the summer — and
many of those good memories
were doing simple things—
boating, swimming, cooking
out, camping in the back yard
with my brother, catching
fireflies in ajar.
Why not spend a few min¬
utes making some summer
plans to make sure you are
making the most of the next
few months?
Adlen Robinson’s “Home
Matters" column is pub¬
lished in every Sunday’s
Lifestyles section of the
newspaper. You can also read
her food column in Friday’s
newspaper. Adlen welcomes
reader tips, comments and
suggestions! Please e-mail
her at contact@adlenrobin
son.com or write to her at
the newspaper. Visit Adlen’s
Web site at www.adlenrobin
son.com for more columns
and recipes.
He hasn’t called to ask for
another date and I seriously
doubt he will. But if he does,
my reply will be succinct.
No sir. Thank you for ask¬
ing. Please don’t call again.
Ronda Rich is the best-sell¬
ing author of What Southern
Women Know (That Every
Woman Should). Sign up for
her newsletter at www.ron
darich.com.