Posted 4/18/01 You responded, now we go forward for the kids: Sunday Night by MaryHelen Swanson My spine tingles when you respond to our news or editorial columns. And you did this week. Kids in need of a place to skate on boards with wheels may have something yet this summer. Several called in with suggestions to ìrecycle,î if you will, the cityís ice skating rink for use as a skateboard arena in summer. Apparently itís been done elsewhere. It would be a good site and could easily be supervised. City, are you listening? One man has offered a generous financial donation which will be welcome as soon as it is decided how it can be used for the kids. One mom called, and Iím sorry I havenít gotten back to you, about land that could be leased. Iíll get to you soon but Iíll be on vacation for a few days. No one argued with me or said these kids donít deserve a place to practice a sport that was unheard of in my youth. So, weíll continue to pursue all options and wait for more to come in. And, hopefully, in a few weeks weíll get these kids some place to call their own where they can have fun and be safe. Speaking of kids, who out there has received the yellow smiley face tokens that are part of the Children FIRST campaign? The gist of this project is to help kids, particularly the young teens, and adults to become better friends in our community. Smile at a kid and you may end up with a yellow token redeemable at a local business for a small treat. But, donít smile for the treat, smile because you mean it. Letís close the gap between young and old by treating each other with respect and sharing a smile or îhowdyî now and then with the kids you meet. This good deed, of course, does not have to be confined to the North Branch area. When was the last time you folks in Rush City or Harris or Almelund or Stacy said ìhiî to a bunch of kids on the street? You know, the ones with red or yellow or spiked hair, baggy pants, or baseball caps on backwards. Before you say their attire turns you off, remember the sixties - poodle skirts, bouffant hairdos, greasy kid stuff on slicked back ducktails. Or the seventies - bell-bottom pants, Nehru jackets, tie-dyed shirts, matted hair, and double knit suits. Yikes. Remember when guysí jeans were too tight? When they wore engineer boots with cleats? When the really macho guys rolled up packs of cigarettes in their t-shirt sleeves? Remember that pale lip look on girls with ìflipî hairdos and blue eyeshadow. Remember ironing your hair to straighten it? Or that humongous wad of bubble gum some girls chewed like cows with cuds? Remember when the farm boys wore their bibs to school, right out of the barn? Take a look around your office today and just try to imagine what your coworkers looked like as teenagers. Better yet, why not bring in some of those photos and share with each other. Wonít you be surprised. My point is, friends, no matter what kids look like today, they deserve to be recognized as members of the human race. So, put children first and give them a smile. It wonít hurt, it could be good for you both. More to come on the skateboard park. ©Post Review