Wonderful Time of the Year

I had to smile when processing this week’s Between Friends article about Christmas-in- July that the Assistance League of Glendale recently held. The idea is not an uncommon one – just a year or two ago, I attended a Christmas in July-themed La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce event. These are a lot of fun and remind people about the “wonderful time of the year.”

However, I don’t think that everyone would agree that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. In fact, as a mother of four boys who for years had to come up with entertaining ways to keep them busy every summer, I think that next Wednesday, Aug. 16 will be a contender for the most wonderful time of the year. That’s because on Wednesday, local public schools open for business.

For those parents who had to come up with interesting things for their kids to do over the summer, who had to listen to complaints of “I’m bored” and “There’s nothing to do,” I’m thinking that back to school is a beacon of hope for their weary souls. A TV commercial for supply store Staples that was released a few years ago captured the joy of parents as they prepared to send their kids back to school. If you have a minute, visit Youtube and search for “Staples back to school commercial.” It still makes me smile when I watch it.

But while parents revel in the new school year, all of us need to be aware of changes to routines to which we may have become accustomed this summer – specifically, traffic.

Let’s face it – summer time traffic is so much lighter than when school is in session. When school is back in session, in the morning it seems that everyone has to be somewhere at the same time – and they’re all running late. It is not uncommon to see drivers running red lights or steering around a stopped car that may, in fact, be dropping off a kid to school. And from 2:15 p.m. into the night, traffic is typically backed up along Foothill Boulevard and the streets that are near schools. CHP officers and sheriff’s deputies will be seen around schools beginning next week, their mere presence a hoped-for deterrent for reckless drivers.

Because let’s face it: kids are not the most attentive members of society. Especially with the popularity of personal devices, many kids have something plugged into their ears, drowning out warning honks from oncoming vehicles or shouts by concerned adults. Couple that with impatient drivers who didn’t realize how much longer it was going to take to get to the freeway once school was back in session, and the possibility for disaster is high.

So remember beginning on Wednesday to take a breath before heading out in your car, give yourself some extra travel time – and maybe hum “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

  robin goldsworthy