The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett

School is out! Teachers and students are celebrating. Parents, however, are probably already wondering what to do with their kids for the summer. They can't wait to get out of school but are bored within five minutes of doing so!

Just adhere to the following "ABC's of Surviving Summer Vacation" and you will maintain your sanity throughout the summer months.

A - Acknowledge that you need help. Enlist the support of Grandma, Grandpa, aunts, uncles, friends, the family dog and even the next-door neighbors. Remind everyone, "It takes a community to raise a child." Use yours!

B - Beg. Your children deserve nothing less from you. Shedding a few tears and looking desperate is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your kids are at Grandma's for the day or at a friend's house for the entire week-end.

C - Calculate your risks. So what if Uncle Joe is a little absent-minded? A few kids around asking him a thousand questions a minute is sure to stimulate his mind.

And, if necessary, resort to "D."

D - Delay tactics. The car would not start. You locked your keys in the car. You had to work late. The toilet ran over. The phone rang as you were going out the door. All are excellent reasons for retrieving your kids a little late from whoever is keeping them.

And, if you start to feel a little guilty, just remind yourself that your kids are actually "enjoying" their summer vacation. You are only trying to "survive" it!

Good luck from one who has "been there, done that."

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Happy birthday this week to: Lisa Burke, Paige Fleming, Jonathan Gay, Johnny Wilson, Myra Fleming, Daniel McMillan, Cecelia Bragg Howell, Jon Weathersby, John Troisi Jr., Roy Head and Stewart Rackley.

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Military Active Duty List: Stuart Burrus, U.S. Air Force, BAFB, LA; SPC 4 Travis D. Motes, 1st Calvary Division, Camp Taji, Iraq; Capt. Donald Slade Burke, Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, Calif.; SPC Grade E4 Arthur Lamont Milton Jr., HHC 1-36 Infantry Support, Friedberg, Germany; Staff Sgt. Gilbert C. Sheppard III, 48th Brigade, 118th Field Artillery, Ft. Stewart; Petty Officer 2nd Class Jamie A. Yager, U.S. Navy, Maryland; Petty Chief Officer Andy D. Crosby, U.S. Navy, Elroy Destroyer, Norfolk, Va.; Stephanie Crosby, R.N., U.S. Navy, Lafayette Destroyer; LCPL Dwain "Cade" Lee, 1st Marine Division Combat Service Support Group II Security Element, ArRamadi, Iraq; Jimmy Cooper, U.S. Army National Guard, 878th Engineering Battalion-Augusta, Persian Gulf ; 1st Lt. J.R. Taylor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Iraq; SPC. Daniel Stuart, 18th MEDCOM, 121 General Hospital, Seoul, Korea; Sgt. 1st Class Steven Yager, 362nd Sig. Company, Korea; MM3 Jeffrey Sweat, U.S. Navy, USS Kauffman, MM3 59/E-Division, A-Gang, Norfolk, Va.; Cpl. Larry Lamont Clark, U.S. Marine Corp, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bagdad, Iraq; Khan Young, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, Persian Gulf; Robert Milton Jr., E-3, U.S. Army, Ft. Stewart, Hinesville, Ga., Mission Kuwait; SFC Ronnie Perryman, E-7, Georgia Army National Guard, Battery A, 118th Field Artillery Regiment, 48th Brigade Combat Team; Arnold R. Mosley, 2nd Lt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and Debra A. Mosley, Tech. Sgt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas.