Dear Readers,

Last week, four siblings were finally found in the Amazon after surviving 40 days alone after the small plane they had been on crashed in the jungle. The oldest child was 13 years old; the youngest was an infant. After their mother died just days after the crash, the children started their journey for survival. They managed to evade jaguars and poisonous snakes and members of cartels and militias. They collected drinking water and foraged for food, eating small fruits they knew were not poisonous.

When I heard their story, I was in awe. These kids proved to be resourceful and resilient. They used their wits and the wisdom they had been taught to survive the elements, looking out for each other and taking care of one another.

I was in an office waiting room when the story came on the TV. “These kids managed to survive on their own for 40 days,” I joked to the woman next to me. “My kids call me ten times if I leave the house for fifteen minutes.”

But as I thought about it, I realized that we don’t give our kids enough credit. Kids, by nature, are resourceful. Watch them play with random toys, and soon you’ll see an elaborate castle or bridge or moat made out of straws and stones and sequins. They’re creative when given the opportunity and capable of navigating many situations.

But we don’t always give them the chance to hone those skills. We, understandably, do not leave children under a certain age alone at home. We, understandably, do not allow children below a certain age to walk to the grocery store and pick out ingredients for dinner. We also don’t want them turning on the flame and making dinner. But don’t think that makes our kids less capable. We, the parents, just have to be more creative in producing other opportunities that will foster an environment ripe for their resourcefulness.

The summer is perhaps the best time to create these opportunities. With no homework and a more relaxed schedule for many of us, it’s a great time to take children to places where they can bring forth those skills that they naturally have. Playing in the sand at the beach, looking for insects on a hike, making projects out of random objects around the house…the summer was made for these types of activities.

But even if your children aren’t around you during the summer, camp is also a fitting venue to hone those innate skills. Learning to deal with different bunkmates, figuring out what to do when they run out of socks, deciding what to do when they don’t like what’s being served for dinner…your children will have to deal with these situations on their own (with their counselors, camp mother, nurse, shiur teacher…OK, so not really on their own) without heading to you for constant input.

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

P.S. If you’re sending your children to sleepaway camp this year, make sure you read Nate Davis’s article, “Homesickness is Just a Little Headache.” It offers wonderful advice on how to help your children navigate those homesick feelings–on their own!

Yitzy Halpern, PUBLISHER publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Yosef Feinerman, MANAGING EDITOR ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

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Shabbos Zemanim

Friday, June 23 Parshas Korach

Candle Lighting: 8:11 pm

Shabbos Ends: 9:21 pm

Rabbeinu Tam: 9:42 pm

Dear Editor,

It was such a meaningful pleasure to read Barbara Deutsch’s piece, “The Legacy of Those Who Teach,” in The Jewish Home, celebrating her husband Bob’s magnificent career in education.

I found myself reading and nodding my head, “Yes, yes, yes” at the beautiful descriptions of Mr. Deutsch’s devotion to his beloved students. I had a double zchus – Mr. Deutsch was a colleague of mine in DRS for a decade, as well as an incredible English teacher to my son Akiva (DRS ’13). Akiva learned so much and reminisces of all the support and encouragement he received from Mr. Deutsch. Akiva is now a writer as well as an editor of The Jewish Review of Books. He credits Mr. Deutsch with giving him confidence and teaching him to love literature and to love putting pen to paper. During my years at DRS, Mr. Deutsch worked brilliantly with students of all academic levels and inspired each boy to be the best that he could be.

Mr. Deutsch will be greatly missed by everyone.

May the future hold joy and simcha and all good things for Barbara and Bob Deutsch.

Robin Schick

Dear Five Towns Resident Yearning To Breathe Free,

There are a few issues with your concerns regarding mosquito treatments taking place in the 5 Towns.

The first is that almost all of the “mosquito companies” you see roaming around the neighborhood are not actual exterminators and have to use a “natural” spray. It’s a mixture of soybean, cotton seed, citronella, and clove oils that get heavily mixed with water. While it probably tastes awful, you can literally drink it and be fine.

The second issue is that it’s not a gas and is heavily mixed with water so there are no vapors.

The third issue is you claim that “the most popular companies in the 5 Towns use bifenthrin.” Again, almost all of them are using natural sprays. Bifenthrin itself is a very old chemical and heavily regulated and, if used correctly, is completely harmless.

The fourth issue is that you claim the treatments are an environmental pollutant. The only thing that’s polluting the environment is the gas-powered sprayers the mosquito companies use. If being done correctly, any chemical being used has a very small droplet size which allows the spray to be dry within minutes of being deployed. No harm to anything, anyone, or any environment.

I can’t speak for everyone doing mosquito treatments, but for those of us who are actual exterminators, NY State gives us a phone book of regulations and laws we have to follow to ensure we are killing pests while keeping the public safe.

I hope this information and staying off of Google will ease your anxiety a bit and trust that at least some of us know what we’re doing.

Sincerely,

Danny Owner Dead On Pest Control

Continued on page 10

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Summer is sometimes when kids feel a bit too “free,” and without their parents’ supervision, connect with other influences who may not share their home’s values. A honest, open conversation without judgement about the values that your home has and the expectations of any family member from that home will help to stabilize your child and remind them of who they are.

Respect for others, respect for people’s property, cleanliness, honesty… these are all values that every child should remember to keep regardless of if they’re at home or away in camp.

Sincerely,

R. Hershkowitz

Dear Editor,

I find that there are many more bikers and scooter-ers on the roads in the summer months. The lighting is not always optimal during the night, and it’s hard to see them. In fact, just last night, around midnight, I saw a person on a hoverboard in middle of the street. I couldn’t believe it!

Please, be safe! Wear a helmet and have lights on your bike. Also, wearing some sort of reflector (a belt/sash, etc.) is also helpful to drivers at night. We don’t want to hit you, but if we can’t see you, it makes it harder for us to keep you safe.

Sincerely,

A Five Towns Driver