More Questions than Answers

by Michele Boy | May 8, 2025

It is a beautiful, rainy Wednesday morning as I write this. 
Gentle rains have fallen all over our county, polishing the trees with a shiny luster, washing away the dust and dirt, and giving our crops a push.
I tried to take photos of the rain for the newspaper but nothing I found did it justice. 
This paper has been a challenging one because there is so much news I can’t report on. There just isn’t enough time, room, or advertising. 
 I wish we could afford a whole staff to cover it all. Isn’t it funny how a small town of about 2,000 people could have so much news? 
 In one day, there was a science fair, a golf tournament, 4-H meetings, and an SHS track meet. The SJH meet was canceled due to weather but JH will head to Tribune  Thursday morning. 
I didn’t get to cover all the dead birds around town that people have reported on. I didn’t get to tell you about a scam the Holcomb Police Department reported where a package arrives with a ring inside. When you scan the QR code to activate the warranty it gains access to information on your phone, such as credit cards and bank account info. 
Most of those things I couldn’t cover because I was trying to get this week’s paper out. Go on social media and the news I am missing is more than I am covering.
  But what we do cover, I am proud of. I am also grateful to Krista Norton who always manages to grab photos and stories even though she is also always on the move.
With just two weeks till the end of school, there is so much going on, it is hard to cover it all. So I appreciate everyone who lends a hand, drops us a note, a tip, or a photo.
  With that said, what we did put in, we worked hard on. And I hope you enjoy this week’s edition. 
Are you planning for summer yet? Working? Vacationing? Slowing down a little?  I keep saying it will slow down next week. LOL. 
 This Sunday is Mother’s Day. The  Saturday after that is graduation.  Maybe being busy is good because I am so focused on the next thing, I don’t have time to overthink. 
   Speaking of overthinking. I couldn’t wait for my dandelions to bloom, so I mowed them down. See last week’s paper for part one. 
 If I planted dandelions in the garden in my backyard,  they would die. It is just not my thing. And I feel too much pressure wondering what neighbors might think of the overgrown grass if I waited. I guess for someone who likes to think of herself as independent and free thinking, I cave to peer pressure easily. Or in this case the appearance of peer pressure. 
Last week, a neighbor brought me a lovely note and some dandelion jelly they made. My heart warmed at the sweet gesture. Did it stop me from mowing? Nope.
I saw a news story about alarming trends of teens being forced and manipulated to undress, commit suicide, call in bomb threats. And it is all through direct messaging on gaming sites or social media. 
 The world can be so scary. 
As the summer means more free time for our kids. Some will be busy with sports, work, or hopefully swimming and bike riding. But they will have downtime too. 
 I hope you have the opportunity to have talks with your children and other parents about the dangers lurking in their phones. I am grateful to have those friends.    
  KSHSAA puts out a “Less is More” Op-Ed that I also didn’t have room for.  It was about burnout in high school students due to summer athletics. And while I don’t disagree, sometimes I am just so grateful when my daughter is busy! 
 We are navigating a crazy world, How do we give our kids the independence and freedom they need to be successful on their own while at the same time protecting them from a dark world of predators that do not tire of trying to reach our kids? 
 I have more questions than answers. But I know communication is important. And as our children listen less to us and more to peers, teachers, and coaches, I pray our kids are surrounded this summer with positive influences. I pray that we can slow down long enough to check in with them, to 
check their social media engagement, to get with other parents to learn how to restrict their phones. 
They are smarter than us in a lot of ways. But they are still young. They are still curious, wanting of attention, and immature. 
 I leave you with this quote. “Before I got married, I had six theories about raising children. Now, I have six children and no theories.” — John Wilmot