St. Louis County

In honor of Summer Fun Week at St. Louis Kids Magazine's SmartParenting blog, I am going to overcome my fear of snakes and disgust of mosquitoes (I obviously need to stop watching Animal Planet) and start hiking with my family. Maybe I’ll ease into nature with a "Gentle Hike" at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.

Each second Saturday of June, July and August, a naturalist will take hikers on a flat, paved and short walk to a different part of the Conservation. June’s adventure will travel to the prairie demonstration area in front of the Visitor Center.

I can’t remember the last time I came home smelling like smoke. Or the last time I worried about my kids breathing in a bunch of smoke. Most of our friends and relatives who smoke hold off around the kids, and with the new city and county smoking bans, it’s going to be rare indeed for the kids to even see people smoking across the room.

So I wonder … will they be less likely to try it themselves? Or will they be more likely because it’s something exotic? Will it be like immunizations — parents who’ve never experienced a child sick with measles or whooping cough are forgoing vaccines against those diseases, and now the rates are on the rise.  Maybe my kids, never having seen a smoker puffing away despite a hacking cough, will be oblivious to the dangers.

The new St. Louis County Youth Connection Helpline – which just started answering the phones on Oct. 7 – is already impacting teens’ lives. It’s a noteworthy start for a unique project.

“We went live a couple of weeks ago, and already we’ve gotten several crisis calls,” said Julie Russell, director of programs and performance at the St. Louis County Children's Service Fund, which pays for the Helpline. “There’s been a lot of need for shelter services for youth and teens.”

Those calling the Helpline at 314-628-2929 or 877-928-2929 may not realize it, but they are getting in touch with a very innovative service. Russell explained that four factors make the Helpline the first of its kind in the country:

Since 1973, St. Louis-based Metro Theater Company has helped foster an early appreciation for the arts in children through its educational theater productions performed  in schools and community centers throughout the city and state. To help continue this tradition, on Thursday, April 1, area Whole Foods Markets will sponsor a Community Support Day to benefit the theater company.