Freedom (Nip it in the Bud)

Those who remember how it was when their children were home can vividly recall the first day of summer. Yippee!!! We were all thrilled.

I have three teenagers remaining at home and the oldest of those has just begun to drive. He has assumed an attitude that must come from having that independence, for there is no other reason. We are fortunate we live in a small town, so that a trip to the high school is less than three miles, and the grocery store is 1 mile away. Those are pretty much the parameters of his universe, but what joy!

I remember when I was out of town some years back, and a friend called me on my cell phone to ask me who my elder son (he is twenty three now) knew on Jenkins Lane because he was driving that road at that moment. I looked at the clock - it was 11 p.m. on a school night, and I didn't know anybody on Jenkins Road.

I called my son and later my husband. To say my son was shocked is an understatement. He was incredulous! "How did you know?"

To this day, I thank that friend of mine every time I see her. It takes a village to raise these kids, and here, in the Ozarks and River Valley, folks still keep an eye on each other's chittlin's...

Here's hoping you find that same sense of neighborhood.