I am so blessed to have lived in a two-parent home all my life. I know what it is like to be a single parent, but that was for only three years. Recently I have been praying for single parents because I have been seeing the results on the children of having only one parent in the home. I do not have space enough to talk about the ways of single parent homes, so please do not think I am trying to bash men! I have seen some women who I can not imagine anyone living with, as well as some men so selfish they can not function in a family setting. I would be honored to talk about these types of situations, but not in this setting.

Celebrating Fathers’ Day in the United States will be about 64 million men who identify themselves as fathers. Only 26.5 million of those dads are a part of a home where they have a spouse and children under the age of 18 living there. Twenty-two percent of fathers are raising 3 plus children under the age of 14, with all of them being biological relatives. Only 18% of single-parent homes are headed by a single father, the rest by single mothers.

Fathers are very important, but are not always present, even when living in the home with their children. We dads are too busy with our jobs, hobbies, or even many other things that I will not try to identify! But notice that 85% of youth in prison gangs grew up in a fatherless home! Children without a father hare four times more likely to be living in poverty than children with a father. Children from fatherless homes are twice as likely to drop out of school before graduating. Teen girls living in a fatherless home are almost 4 times more likely to become mothers before their 20th birthday.

In African-American homes, 57% are fatherless homes. Hispanic homes have 31% fatherless rate. Caucasian homes have a 20% fatherless rate. This is not a racist statement, only statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau. A recent survey reported that 72% of Americans believe that a fatherless home is the most significant family problem that is facing our nation.

Children who live in a single-parent or step-family home report less school work monitoring, less social supervision, and lower educational expectations than children from two-parent homes. About 40% of all children born in America are born to unmarried mothers. Over 60% of these children are born to mothers who are under the age of 30.

Children who live in a fatherless home are 279% more likely to deal drugs or carry firearms for offensive purposes compared to children who live with their fathers. 92% of parents who are in U.S. prisons are fathers. 43% of dads do not see their role as something of importance. 54% of dads say that parenting is not enjoyable. The modern dad spends only 8 hours weekly with child care, which is 6 hours less than the modern mom.

70% believe that it is equally important for a newborn to spend time bonding with their father and their mother, but 53% believe mothers do a better job of parenting than fathers.

Most of this information came from a ministry called “Life Is Beautiful”. My motive for quoting such statistics is not to bash fathers nor fatherhood, but to point out what I see as a major problem that is growing in America.

And, I do not see these statistics getting much better in the near future. It is my prayer that as we read this information it will cause us to double down on what we truly believe is important in life. Our children had no say in coming into this world, but we should accept our responsibility to see that their world is as good as we can possibly make it!

God’s Word is very plain! Husbands love your wife – Wives love your husband. That is far too simplistic but if we never work on the issues, they will never improve! My dad told me that, “A man can not properly love his children until he totally loves their mother, his wife!”

Fatherhood is never easy but we dads must work at it harder than any other task we will ever have! I do not have the answers, but I believe none of us will until we understand better the problem. I trust now we better understand what we are doing to our children if we are not being the kind of dads we can be. If you have questions about being a better father, please do not hesitate from asking someone. Find a good dad and allow him to mentor you!

When I first started to write this article, the Corona virus was just a whisper. Summertime seemed a long way away, but it has arrived and with it the resumption of some summer activities like swimming. The dark side of me subconsciously calls this time of year the beginning of the drowning season. I dread it because it’s like a small stab in my heart when I read and hear of these people, mostly children and teens dying from an accident in the water. Maybe the level of supervision and closeness we’re now experiencing will lead towards fewer drownings. Under the current circumstances those of us that live in the area of this publication the warmer months are here. If you have a pool or body of water near you, it’s very likely you are getting back in the water if for no other reason that you can. What else are you going to be doing all day every day. So, for all practical purposes our swim season has begun.

Every time you approach water, be it a pond, lake, beach, water park, swim pool or hot tub, it is wise to stop and take a moment to look at the features. Talk to the youngsters about the depths, obstacles, entries and exits before allowing them to get into the water. Even if you don’t plan on swimming, I recommend you have this conversation. The hope is that the youngsters, when not under your supervision, will develop this habit themselves and possibly avoid a future accident or issue.

Demand that the children you are supervising listen to you. Make sure they understand that they are not to enter the water until you give the go ahead. Make them work on some swim and survival skills before playing. This could be just a 10-15 minute routine. Have them practice entries and exits, floating and recovering from a float, bobbing towards safety. Have them practice some simple breath control exercises (holding breath under water and rhythmic blowing bubbles in water then coming up for one breath then repeat). Have them practice some propulsion methods such as kicking, then practice isolated arm movements. Once warmed up and more aware of their surroundings allow them to explore. As the adult in charge you’ll want to make sure they stay in shallow water and within reach if they are not yet accomplished swimmers. At the same time, you want them to explore.
Some basic water safety mantras include:

Don’t just pack it, wear your (life) jacket. Your PFD/ life jacket will not help if you don’t wear it. It will not matter how well you can swim if you are knocked unconscious.

Look before you leap. If you are in a pool, you need to look to see if there are ledges, steps or another swimmer where you plan on jumping in. If you are swimming in murky water, you want to know if there is a submerged object. Jumping onto a submerged tree, for example, might result in injury.

Swim with a buddy in a supervised area. Having another swimmer with you provides another person who is aware of you being in the water. Having supervision gives you another level of possible help if an emergency comes up.

Reach, throw, but don’t go. In the case of a distressed swimmer you can offer help without putting your life in danger. Reach out an object to the distressed swimmer. Items on hand might include a pool noodle, tree branch or towel. If the swimmer is too far to reach, objects you might throw include a pool noodle, life jacket, closed ice chest. Making physical contact with a distressed swimmer often results in a double drowning which is why it is strongly discouraged.

Be aware of depths before entering. Always make sure the water is deeper than you are tall before a head-first entry. On the other side of that situation be aware that if you jump from an elevated position into shallow water you will likely injure yourself, maybe even breaking a leg. The Kingfisher Beach Pier is an example of such a situation. The pier is elevated and the water below is shallow.

Glass has no place around swimming areas. Most swimmers walk around barefooted thus broken glass presents a problem. In a pool, glass may be hard to spot. It is much easier to keep all glass away from swimming areas be it a pool, hot tub, lake or beach.

Ingesting water or inhaling water can cause issues that become apparent hours after exiting the water. The smaller the child the more likely ingesting water can present problems. For the very young, under 3, parents should allow very few submersions especially if there is reason to believe the child is swallowing water.

Finally, drowning doesn’t look like drowning. A distressed swimmer is thinking of getting their next breath and will not scream for help. Drowning happens fast, often the victim is silent. One way to find out if a person is drowning is to ask them if they are ok. If the person is able to answer, then they probably are ok. If unable to answer or, then you may have only seconds to help them.

The best way to ensure one’s safety around water is to be able to swim. At the most basic level this makes it possible for an individual to save themselves if they get into a pickle. Being able to swim is a life skill that all should try to attain. It is never too late to acquire this skill.

For many of us it feels like the world as we know it has come to a grinding halt. I’m not sure who originally made this statement, but my Mother repeated it often: “This too shall pass.” I will be very happy when this is in our past.

Sun. June 21    Father’s Day
Sun., June 28    Memorial Service for Haynes Hart 2:00 pm  Port O’Connor Community Center
Thurs., July 2    Port O’Connor Service Club   10:00 am  Pavilion at Kingfisher Beach
Sat., July 4    4th of July Fireworks Celebration  at dark  King Fisher Beach, Port O’Connor
July 5-8        Vacation Bible School
Sun. 4-7 pm    First Baptist Church, Port O’Connor
Mon. – Wed. 9 am til 12 noon
Tues., July 14    Constable Runoff Election

Despite the current school shut, down the Port O’Connor Lil’ Sprouts Learning Garden still blooms with all the children’s hopes for a brighter future.

A few weeks ago the Port O’Connor School’s Lil” Sprout’s gardening program was dealt a blow and their garden shed had collapsed. So many things have happened since and life got away from me and I hadn’t found the time to update everyone on the progress of the situation, until now.

Originally the program was started when POC 5th grade teacher Lea Ann Ragusin applied for a small educational grant to build a Learning Garden. She wanted to teach the increasingly rare art of growing your own vegetables, educate students on the myriad of beneficial and nutritional values of veggies and even introduce them to some they’ve never even heard of. There was so much science, nature and passion behind it, of course she got her grant.

After their first successful crop The Lil’ Sprouts held a mini Farmers Market in front of the school. Word got out quickly and they were sold out in a flash! All the monies were then turned back around and reinvested in more seed and supplies for the next crop. The program was a great success and the children were learning and growing so quickly. Some students even volunteered to stay after school to help weed and turn the garden beds. Once the second Farmer’s Market sale was complete the children unanimously decided to donate their funds to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital to help families afford medical care for their children, and also to honor former POC student afflicted by cancer, Miss Carly Rosenboom. It’s always been said the teachers at this school were truly amazing but I’m inclined to think the children are as well.

It wasn’t but a few days afterwards that the Lil’ Sprouts lost their small garden shed to a wind storm. As a parent and big fan of the teacher and the program, I put out the call to our tiny community asking for help in building a new one. Within the first two hours of posting on Facebook we were overwhelmed with support! A kind benefactor offered to float the whole project and a couple others immediately sent checks to the school. The next day there was a knock at my door with more donations as well. I even met a lady in Dollar General, visiting from Louisiana, who saw the post, loved the idea of the program and insisted on donating. Plants and supplies began coming in from all our beloved community members over the next two weeks. The children were so excited! I feigned surprise when my own child came home and ecstatically told me all about how his entire community had come together and they were going to get a new shed! He was so proud.
Within a few days, fellow parent and contractor Gilbert Carilles donated his time and skill set to building the shed of the students’ dreams. The new 12X8 shed would have tons of shelves, storage and was given clear fiberglass roofing so it could double as a greenhouse. To quote my own child, “It’s so cool and huuuuge!”

Port O’Connor School, teachers, staff and students would like to thank the following for all they have done and provided to help make their program a success: Francis Alexander, Marie & Robbie Hawes, Janice Stadler, Donna Morris, Gilbert Carilles and Family, The Thomas Family, Calhoun County 4H and so many more who anonymously donated and dropped off various plants. (Please let me know if I left anyone out.)

Thank you for being Port O’Connor Strong and more importantly teaching our children how to come together in times of need.

“These are photos from when the shed was done and school was still in session. I am so proud of the kids donating the Farmers Market proceeds ($512) to St. Jude’s Hospital.”
-Lea Ann Ragusin

My mom, Leonaj Bennetsen, has been a resident of Bethany Senior Living in Port Lavaca for three months. On April 21, the facility held a decorated car parade for the Bethany residents, with the cars making several trips around the building which the residents waved from the sidewalks. It was a wonderful parade! -Clint Bennetsen