The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Beware, Spring Fever

by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Editor and Publisher

18 April 2001

It's struck me again... Spring Fever!

In fact, I thought if I enlarged this editorial to big print for easier reading in case you can't find your glasses, I might be out of the office in time to walk around the yard or take note of the many new flowers beginning to appear nearby.

You're right, Spring Fever is just one of those yearly things that we need to get under control. But after the first cutting of the grass and as daffodils and tulip trees are in bloom, I yearn to be out, even if washing windows.

This is the time of the year teachers have trouble with students concentrating, and wives and mothers have trouble getting everyone at the table on time, or at least before dark.

It's also the time, the house needs sprayed before the bugs hatch and spiders are drawn to feast on them.

Our bug exterminator said the only way to rid a home of spiders without directly killing each, is to kill their food supply.

Moles are in the yard caused by the same problem, they are attracted by grubs.

I guess if we just left everything alone, nature would take care of itself.

But, "spring fever" seems to come every year and seems to hit every age.

The downside of this wonderful time which stimulates all the senses is the dangers it brings. It can put many of us, especially young teenagers, in a cloud of unreality perceiving this as an idealistic world.

The Quill received this past week from Dallas, Texas a warning of how "every day pedophiles enter homes and befriend children."

According to the warning, these "sexual predators" spend months gaining children's confidence through their online communications over the Internet.

Children begin to trust these cyber friends to the point where they give out personal information. They believe in their new online friends and stop distinguishing between real friends at school and friends on the Internet.

The warning to parents is to start taking Internet safety seriously.

"Don't wait until the danger touches a loved one. Help prevent these trusting children from being stolen, abused and exploited.

The same rules should apply on the Internet as anywhere else.

"Parents do not let their children go anywhere unsupervised before they are confident their destination is safe and that they know how to handle themselves," the news release said.

Parents do not encourage their children to talk to strangers, especially if trusted adults are not around.

Additionally, parents keep an eye on what their children are doing.

Parents learn what they are interested in, how they are spending their time, and to whom they are communicating and in relationships with.

Parents should do these same things when their children are online."

Spring fever hits some harder than others, especially at a vulnerable age of children seeking to keep-up with the adult world they see.

Parents should be informed of your child's computer usage, understanding what they are doing and viewing, telling them their concerns and setting a good example.

"Installing a filter and walking away is not parental involvement: only parents can protect their children."

It seems we as parents can have our head in the clouds, too. Spring fever pulls us into the garden or into catching up our own plans instead of paying attention to our children.

As long as they are in our homes, they need our direction and supervision. Thinking children know better may just be our downfall.

We must stop our day-dreaming tendency and get on with regularly communicating with our children.

If we get self-absorbed with our spring fever, we may just turn around and find our children gone, or involved in our worst nightmare.