Doreen Richardson, Neighbor

I remember when teaching was a revered profession. I remember when kids played outside until sunset - no, not organized sports but the kind of kid-frenzied spontaneity that sent you skipping across open pastures or scrambling up a tree for sun-ripened fruit. I remember a time when anyone old enough to know better could and would tell you to take yourself home before they call your mother for you, or worse, tell your dad they saw where your were not suppose to be, doing what you were not suppose to be doing. I know it sounds so, but I am really not that old. I am young enough to be idealistic about the possibility of us creating child-friendly, supportive villages and old enough to know that it would take a demonstrative shift in cultural values - the kind of shift that requires adults to "put their money where their mouth is". Now, we have a challenge!