Children are back in school.

That means school buses are rolling early every morning and in the afternoons. That means children are racing to (and especially from) the bus stops.

We’d like to offer a few suggestions. Adjust your departure time for work in the mornings to make sure you don’t get caught behind a bus, and remember when they get home, the children tend to scatter everywhere.

If you have children, make sure they are up in plenty of time and that they have a good breakfast. A few extra minutes can make for a better student -more alert and ready to apply themselves to their school work.

Make sure the homework is done, and keep them on a regular schedule. Such discipline will go a long way in their personal development.

Watch their bedtimes. Make sure they get plenty of rest and that they know their priorities. Homework comes before television or computer games.

If you don’t have children, you have an opportunity to be a mentor or to volunteer in school programs. Schools need responsible adults to assist in countless ways, and it’s a way of giving back.

Children are most influenced by example. Set a good example of high moral character, giving back to the community which gives you much, and caring about your fellow human beings.

School is stress-filled for children. There’s the increased demand for success and making the grade, for achievement standards being raised every year and for the social stresses children endure, from friendships to fashion, from sex to drugs to violence. Let’s all do what we can to minimize their stresses, so we don’t have as many ourselves.

It’s called investing in our future. Our children ARE our future. Let’s make sure the investment is a sound one.

L’Observateur