Wherever you live, odds are kids are getting out of school for the summer this week or within the next couple. That means, there will soon be lots more activity on the sidewalks, streets, and common areas of our communities.
When it comes to the younger crowd, here are a few things to keep in mind (courtesy of the National Safety Council) to ensure everyone enjoys a safe and happy summer.
- Beat the Heat – Anybody can be at risk for a heat-related illness. Remember to take extra breaks and drink lots of water.
- Bug Safety – Mosquitoes can cause a number of illnesses, including Zika Virus and West Nile Virus. Take measures to protect yourself from bites.
- Playgrounds – Emergency departments see more than 20,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related traumatic brain injury each year.
- Fireworks – Summer is synonymous with barbecues, parades, fireworks displays – and plenty of visits to emergency rooms, especially during July.
- Water Safety – Drowning caused 3,709 deaths in 2017. The younger the child, the greater the risk.
- Bicycling – Bicyclists must take extra precautions when they ride. They often share the road with vehicles, but injuries can happen even on a bike path.
- Skateboarding – Everyone falls, but there’s a right way to do it. In 2017, 98,486 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms after being injured skateboarding.
- Boating – Most boating experiences are positive. But joyful times quickly can turn deadly if boaters are always not vigilant about safety.
- Pedestrian Safety – Cell phone distracted walking is a huge problem, and rarely are we more vulnerable than when walking, crossing streets and negotiating traffic.
Learn more about how to mitigate these risks by visiting the National Safety Council website.
And, if you’ve got kids graduating from high school, you may soon be discovering that your home feels a bit quieter. Yes, that empty nest can suddenly seem lonely without the happy noise of young people. Yet, there is a way to remedy that … consider fostering a child in need of a safe, loving place to stay.
You probably have extra room in your house now. How about your heart? Is there room in your heart for another child? Or, two?
If so, visit https://saintfrancisministries.org/foster-care/ to learn how to fill that empty nest again.
