|   Issues

At Rocky Mountain Parent magazine, our goal is to support parents in northern Colorado. We stay pretty much focused on what I call the Big 3—education, recreation and health. And we shoot to get as much useful information into your hand as we can every month.

 

Sometimes though issues fall outside the Big 3 that we simply must draw attention. In her story “The ugly side of our utopia,” Kim Sharpe draws attention to child abuse and neglect right here in northern Colorado. Although we might not see it, children are falling victim regularly all around us regardless of socio-economic status. Please take a few minutes to read Kim’s story on page 18.

 

Realities for Children has been front-and-center in the fight against child abuse and neglect in Larimer county for the past 15 years. Rocky Mountain Parent magazine has been proud to be a media sponsor of Realities for Children nearly from the time we published our first issue in June 1996. Through a staggering variety of channels, Realities for Children raises money and awareness to fight child abuse and neglect. They focus on emergency funding for abused, neglected and at-risk youth.  To see more specifically what Realities for Children does and how you might become involved, check out the Web site at www.realitiesforchildren.com.

 

I have attended several Realities for Children events and heard founder Craig Secher declare, “if we all do a little, we can accomplish a lot.” I encourage you to read Kim’s story and follow up with Realities for Children, 484-9090. From being aware to taking some small action to contributing financially, we can all help reduce child abuse and neglect.

 

Out other feature this month addresses a pet topic of ours around Rocky Mountain Parent magazine (I hope you noticed): keeping kids active. We believe kids learn a lot from being directed in structured activities, especially ones that help to develop lifelong fitness habits. We are also huge fans of unstructured free play. Turn ‘em loose at the pool or the park (with some basic safety and consideration guidelines) and see what they come up with. Lynn Utzman-Nichols is full of great ideas in her story on page 16, “Beat the slow days of summer.”

 

Along the same theme, check out the special section this month on Fit Kids. Keeping kids healthy comes down to some basics: keep them active, feed them nutritious food, and keep them out of harm’s way.  We address all of these. What could be better for summer activity than a listing of places to swim around the area. We have quite a variety, so try something new. Lynn Dean highlights quick-and-easy healthful snacks in her story, “Treat your family,” on page 6 of the special section. And finally, avoid the basic hazards of summer—sunburn, heat-related illnesses, bug bites, water accidents—with some simple, but important, measures.

 

So let’s all “do a little to accomplish a lot” this summer with our own kids and with those of the greater village.

 

Scott Titterington

Publisher