Back to school means change of priorities for us parents

Back when I was the editor of the Andalusia Star-News in Alabama, we prided ourselves on having an editorial in every single issue of the paper. This was easy during hot topic seasons, such as when the sane people who cared about their children's education were trying to pass an amendment to raise money for schools.

I wrote many, many editorials explaining the need for the amendent to pass and how the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. It didn't work -- It was voted down by the other 98 percent of the state, but my county was the only one that passed it -- and by a large margin at that.

Police issues, city council issues, all were easy fodder for the editorial machine, but as in any industry, we'd hit dry spells. At the editorial meetings, we'd sit in my office ... yeah... I had an office then ... with a door. And a television ... and throw out ideas.

One day, my sports editor, a funny, funny fellow, said, "I've got it!

"Litter -- we're against it."

I actually wrote the editorial, just focusing on the need for us to pick up after ourselves and make the world a prettier place.

One of our yearly standards was "Back to School." Since I don't write editorials for the T-G, but I do editorialize in my column, this is what you're getting today.

School has started. This means many important things.

1. Children are crossing the streets from buses. Be careful, be alert, and remember to stop, stop, stop when the bus does. When that sign pops out and those lights are flashing, you stop. Otherwise, you could hurt a child, get a ticket, and totally annoy the parents, none of which are good things.

2. They are also crossing roads near schools, they are wandering off of sidewalks, distracted by shiny objects, and they are not paying attention to their surroundings. In other words, they are being kids, and it's our job to protect them from themselves.

3. Your own children are changing. They're getting up earlier than they used to and they're actually having to do brain work at school. This means by the time you get them back, they're going to be hungry, cranky and just a little bit scary.

4. Every item of clothing you bought for your kid that you thought was cool, in style and fitting the dress code has been ruled unacceptable by all teenagers everywhere.

5. The park is mine again, do you hear me? Mine! Mine! Mine! Except for the disc golfers, who are quiet, and the skateboarders who are not ...

6. Get out your checkbooks. Fundraising season has begun.

7. You get to explain to your child once again that a cell phone is not considered a school necessity.