Summer is generally thought of as a time for outdoor fun and adventure, a time to enter the spirit of enjoying many of the natural amenities this beautiful island has to offer; and that is always a good thing.

However, there must be a realistic approach in doing this because many changes have occurred since the ‘40s and ‘50s and nothing should be taken for granted.

Back then, many parents worked just as hard as they do today, but during the summer months without the numerous recreational programmes available today for young people, the community blanket of concern was wider, and the network of watchfulness throughout the Island without fanfare became that protective shield for children who never even knew it was there.

Things were not perfect by any means, and the risk factor for misfortune was just as prevalent then as it is today.

The difference was that there was a greater feeling of safety that gave many of us that invincible spirit, that no matter what we did in climbing trees or using a neighbour’s swing, usually attached to cedar, or pride of India tree, that everything would be all right.

Even in that atmosphere of fun and adventure, there were accidents with tragic results.

In other words, the risk factor was never out of the picture, and danger was an ever present ingredient as is the case today.

Despite a lack of sophisticated communication that exists these days, many young people who chose to step out of line in expected conduct back then, were dumbfounded to know their parents knew everything, even though they had no phone. One of the wonders of that period.

Today there are so many different communication devices and non-stop chatter around the clock that parents can easily be on the outside of what is really going on in the minds of so many young people.

The technology has its advantages because parents feel a sense of having a connection with their offspring. Nothing wrong with that.

I remember an incident in the ‘40s that went terribly wrong, and only angels saved the day.

It was one of those tree swings that could be fun and scary at the same time.

It was my turn, and whoever was pushing tried to send me into orbit.

At a high point the rope snapped and I was flying over a tool shed landing in banana patches below. My legs were badly grazed and the only sounds I was waiting for were trumpets.

There was no 911 call, or rush to check injuries. If you could move, and were alive, that was all that mattered. What a time. These days there are countless distractions for young people apart from trying to outdo each other on our roads with motorcycles.

The social media network is crowded with just about any type of life experience, and any young mind with the ability to link up to this new world of chit-chat, is faced with being on guard for negative material that could have appeal for excitement, while sinister objectives lay beneath the surface.

Throughout most of the world, parents are like strangers in the night when it comes to staying in touch with an ocean of negative material that could damage a young mind to a degree where results could be tragic.

The recent tragedy in South Carolina has been cited by many as being one those incidents that highlighted the need to protect the vulnerable, or those who feel on the outside of society. Parents today do have their hands full in trying to come to grips with modern methods of child raising when discipline as we once knew it has almost become extinct.

The discipline we are talking about is not child abuse, or being harmful, but something that teaches that disregarding the basic rules of life is not without consequences.

Part of the problem today is that there is a lot of talking with electronic devices, when there should be more face-to-face conversations between parents and children on a regular basis about life and the values that matter for living productively.

Without those conversations, the door could swing open for concepts that young minds might find exciting without knowledge of results further down the road.

The summer is just beginning, and there will be many challenges for parents, and guardians, and we can only hope that it will be a safe time for everyone.

There are a number of summer programmes aimed at keeping young minds active in a positive manner, but at no time should parents ever take anything for granted.

A young mind is certainly too precious to waste.

Remember they will be the next generation.