With the kids out of school, people are starting to make the most of the summer. They're hitting the beaches, taking weekend trips, and enjoying neighborhood picnics and bike rides. This is New England at its best.
It's a shame, though, that government so often seeks to stamp out the fun, limiting our options and making activities needlessly expensive and complicated. Across the county, states and localities are passing measures to keep people from swimming in creeks and using portable grills or fire pits at local parks. They are shutting down kids' lemonade stands and harassing 10-year-olds who dare to visit a playground without a parent.
I am doing everything I can to turn you into kind, sensitive, confident, and sensible young men. Yet time flies, and you'll be off to college in a snap. You have been sheltered and coddled and I must prepare you for the realities of life away from home. Much will sound abstract and far-fetched to you now, but we have no time to waste.
