ONLY YOU......the new generation

I work at an Elementary School and have spoken with a few Kindergartners. I am sad to say that this new generation doesn't know who Smokey Bear is, nor do they know what he says. I know I am dating myself when I say, I even remember Woodsy the Owl ("give a hoot, don't pollute"). So who is to blame that they don't know about him?? Well it's me, and it's you!! We have somewhere failed as adults to teach the younger children about fire safety and fire prevention. I remember being involved with a group of V.I.P. (Volunteers In Prevention) and we would go to the Elementary schools in our area, teaching the students about fire safety/prevention and we'd always take Smokey Bear with us!! I am wondering if kids even would spot him out, if they saw him. When it's fire prevention month (I believe October) why are fire trucks showing up to do talks with children?? What happened to a Firefighter (or a group of them) bringing Smokey Bear in to teach the children. We are losing a valuable resource in our country, and we should be ashamed. We wonder why children play with matches and some even become arsonists. Think about how many fires your husband has gone on this year. Think about the fact that the person who started one of those fires may not have known about Smokey Bear, and that he wants us to prevent forest fires. How sad is that!! I hope I am not rambling, but I am very sad. My family talked about Smokey Bear, often. In fact:

Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear,

prowlin' and a growlin' and a sniffin' the air.

He can smell a fire before it starts to flame.

That's why the call him Smokey,

that was how he got his name.

was one of the first songs I learned to play on the piano. I hope that as we move into fall and fire prevention months, that we would take time out to teach our children and the other children about Smokey. After all, Smokey is my husband's boss!!

Stay Safe and Remember: ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES!!