Children and dogs go together

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 -  As the school year comes to an end, and the summer begins in earnest, there is one thing that is very hard to miss... all the children hanging about.  There are kids at the park, at the pool, and even at the gym.  There are kids hanging off their parents in malls, and hanging in malls to avoid their parents. There are kids outside of 7-11's and even the local Starbucks is being overrun with underlings. So what I find fascinating is that it is Children's Awareness Month.  Of all the months for this, it has to be the one month that you can't help but run into children everywhere.  Trust me... I am very aware.  I am aware of how little kids have to do all day. I am aware of the big words and the short four-letter ones that children are familiar with, and have a penchant for using. I am well aware of the size of the soccer pitch behind the house and just how many kids can take it over for uses that rarely involve a football. 

June is Children's Awareness Month.  Is there anything in particular that this can hope to accomplish more than they are doing all on their own? Perhaps what could come of this is a better selection of entertainments that are not only 'appropriate' for community centres and schools, but appealing to the kids themselves.  I don't know that I've seen too many 15 year old kids these days who are interested in taking in a swimming camp.  How about a music writing/production/rap camp? How about a class in making your own bling or speed texting? How to hack your iPhone and mess with your parents camp? (I would like to attend that one.)

I do not have children.  I am sure that that is not obvious in my writing, huh?  I guess that gene failed to turn on, or maybe it's self preservation for a road not traveled. I do have a dog. I have a Chesapeake Bay Retriever who himself likes to play on that soccer pitch with a football when we can actually get on the field. I work long days on the days I work.  Because my child is a dog, I don't need babysitting, but I do utilize a dog walker. He used to come to work with me every day.  Now I work in operations on a railway and that just isn't an option anymore.  Yesterday, I had meetings in the office all day, and for the first time in two years, I took my dog to work.  He spent half the day under the desk of the customer care guru'ess, and the other half under the board room table. It was a flashback to how good a life he used to have. Now if I could just figure a way to bring him to work on my operations days... he would have it made.  If I was paying closer attention I would have known yesterday that TODAY is Bring Your Dog to Work Day.  I would say I missed the boat on this one, but it turns out Rex and I are just trailblazers.