EDITORIAL
School exams are drawing to a close and next month thousands of children will be on vacation for their annual summer break. Though known as a time for fun and frolic, it is especially at this time that serious, responsible heads should prevail to ensure the safety of our children.
To this end, parents and guardians should strive to ensure that adequate supervision is provided for their children during summer. Though many youngsters may demonstrate a maturity beyond their years and one might be tempted to leave them unsupervised or even in charge of smaller siblings, they are still only children with too little experience on how to handle life’s sticky situations, and it takes only a few minutes for disaster to strike.
Assistance should therefore be sought from extended family or friends wherever possible, to keep an eye on little ones. An alternative would be to utilise the national summer camps, or even private camps. These not only provide supervision, but offer a variety of educational and sports programmes that can help in childhood development. In all instances, the supervising adult(s) should be made aware of any medical conditions that your child may have, and of any activities that you would prefer they not participate in.
Despite the best intentions, supervision for every minute of every hour of every day is highly unlikely. As such, there are a few guidelines which should be taught as part of life’s lessons. For instance, children should be taught emergency telephone numbers and how to relay pertinent information to emergency personnel; the dangers of fire and how to use home fire extinguishers; the dangers of certain chemical inhalants and prescription medicines; along with common lessons like avoiding and refusing entry to strangers, or staying away from isolated areas.
Finally, one danger that needs no introduction is the threat of the sea – the popular old adage “the sea has no back door” can attest to this. However, as an island, Barbados is surrounded by water and just as the brilliant blue sea attracts millions of tourists, it has a pull on those who reside here as well, particularly children. It is crucial then that our youths be taught to understand the warning signs and flags placed on the beach during rough waters, that they are equipped with the skills to swim and get themselves out of dangerous situations, and that they know not to enter the water unless there is a lifeguard present. They must also be taught a healthy respect for the sea and learn not to skylark in the water.
Each year we read of the untimely death of a child during the summer months, a young individual who will not feel the joy of going back to school with his/her peers and who will no longer enjoy the comfort of their family. Although God has the final say, we must do our utmost to ensure that we protect the lives we have and those under our care. Let us keep our heads on and our eyes open as we continue to enjoy our summer.