Dear Annie 7/8
Dear Annie: When kids graduate from high school, parents and grandparents obviously are very proud of their kids. Rightfully so.
Our issue is with the fairly new practice of putting signs on the front lawn, or front door, with the student’s picture on them.
For instance, there is a home in our neighborhood with a photo of the daughter announcing her graduation. What concerns us is that this young girl is very beautiful, and the picture of her is from chest-level to the top of her head.
This is, in our opinion, not the best thing to do when there are so many child predators and kidnappers around. Parents and grandparents, we urge you to please think twice before putting your child’s picture on display. Do you agree? – Concerned Neighbors in Florida
Dear Concerned: It saddens me to think that parents cannot celebrate their children’s accomplishments in a public way. But I do understand your concern and would urge parents to use their judgment about what information they choose to make public. Maybe a good compromise would be to post a sign saying, “We are so proud of our son” or, “We are so proud of our daughter” – without a photo or name.
Dear Annie: You ran a letter from a man who was worried about his neighbor in a retirement community who was showing signs of a loss of cognition.
Most retirement communities have a designated staff person who can intervene in these circumstances, such as a resident services director. Residents complete paperwork before they move in that typically includes an emergency contact.
The facility should contact that person and express their concern about this resident’s declining cognition and her decreasing ability to safely live independently. If something happens, at least there will be documentation that the facility reached out. – Retirement Community
Dear Retirement Community: Thank you for your letter. You offer a wonderful suggestion, assuming there is a resident services director. If there is not one, then there should be.
Dear Annie: Father’s Day always reminds me of the gratitude I feel toward my dad, and as that special day passed recently, I thought about him and how he inspired me to appreciate the natural world around us. I have written a verse in tribute to him that your readers might enjoy:
My dad instilled in me a love of nature.
Had it not been from his example, I would never have appreciated
The beauty of the world around us. He walked with me in the woods.
He sat with me on our country gallery looking out at the lake and
Talked with me about the importance of the land.
He died in 2006, young at 76 … I think of him when I see a gathering of birds,
Of flowers, bodies of water and beautiful trees, wishing he was standing beside me. – Nature-Loving Daughter
Dear Nature-Loving: What a wonderful tribute! If you have ever seen a beautiful sunset, crashing waves or magnificent 100-year-old trees, you know the healing power of nature. In a world so full of distractions and technology, it is so nice that your father taught you to go back to the basics for a happy, peaceful and joyous life. I highly recommend reading, or rereading, Henry David Thoreau’s book “Walden.”
Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.