You’d think I’d have learned by now. Every year it’s not until around Aug. 1 that I finally settle into summer mode. Then it seems the month unfairly speeds to the first day of school, so that I’m always left saying:  “But wait, I didn’t get to appreciate the summer enough.”

I’m truly trying to slow down, to take my own advice on this site and appreciate the many options we have here on Long Island to experience with our children. That’s why you may see my family visiting the East End spots highlighted in our feature and certainly enjoying many events we included. I’ve promised my daughters tea at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum, days spent on the beach and hikes through our parks. The end result will hopefully be that on Sept. 7, when everyone heads back to school, I won’t feel like I missed the summer, and my family of four will have fond memories as well.

Of course the pressure is already on to start signing kids up for after-school activities. In our features, our experts talk about how to balance our children’s time and interests without stressing out the whole family. We also have numerous local advertisers in our magazine who offer children of all ages the chance to learn new skills. Be sure to look for their coupons as who couldn’t use a discount these days?

You’ll want to visit anyway to join the Parent Club and enter to win our contests. Thank you to all our many winners who take the time to write to me. So many of you have said the prizes came at just the right time, mostly for those who have lost jobs (in one case the very day she won the prize). When I decided to offer our contests, I didn’t realize how much they would mean to you. It’s one of the many rewards I get from creating this magazine and site for our Long Island community.

It was also gratifying when we recently won four Press Club of Long Island awards for the articles we publish. We’ll continue to bring you award-winning content from our local experts—including moms and dads.

Meanwhile, from one parent to another, enjoy the rest of the summer, and may you head back to school days having spent memory-building time with your family.

Please contact me at publisher@liparentonline.com. It’s always a pleasure to hear from readers.

Publisher/Editor
Liza N. Burby