Fredericksburg Parent

6 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • August 2020 PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR & WEBMASTER Chris Jones Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad MEDIA & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Megan Walsh: Mia, Noelle & Adelaide's mom DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, Owner, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING MANAGER Lovedy Carroll: Meredith's mom CALENDAR & COOL THINGS TO DO ELETTER Leigha Pecher: Jake & Luke's mom EDUCATION AND INFANT ELETTERS Debra Caffrey: Aidan's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540-429-3572 EMAIL leighanne@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL webmaster@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540-429-3572 E-MAIL fredparenteditor@gmail.com SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, F'burg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's stan- dards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information con- tained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are sub- ject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2019 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. LIKE facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent SIGN UP www.FredParent.net TWEET twitter.com/fredparent PIN www.pinterest.com/ fredparent FOLLOW @fredparentmagazine While on a trek to the playground with my 4-year-old daughter, we came across a colony of ants industriously working to move some crumbs they'd found along the sidewalk. As she jetted off to play, I stooped down to watch the ants work. Like clockwork, they moved with urgency, focus and with a collective sense of purpose. It was about that time a familiar proverb popped into my head: Ants know the value of preparation. They understand that when the weather chang- es for the worst, it will be too late to do in winter what should have been done in summer. Remember Aesop's fable, "The Ant and the Grasshopper?" As you know, the ants gathered and stored provisions in anticipation of a harsh and cold winter. The grasshopper on the other hand frolicked around playing and enjoying music thinking nothing of the future. He wanted to hear nothing of unpleasant possibili- ties, but only wanted to enjoy the freedom of today. To his chagrin, winter hit cold and it hard and he had no food (and in the original fable, he also received no sympa- thy from the ants!). I share this with you because while we're enjoying Phase III, it seems inevitable that we could revisit Phase II. For us as parents, that means virtual learning with kids at home while we work from across the house. It means the grocery bill is still a little higher than we like. And it may mean no community Halloween and a one-off year of no extended family during the holidays. While optimism is important, there is wisdom in caution as well. An ounce of pre- vention is worth a pound of cure. With cold and flu season nipping at our heels—and it being the first in the COVID-19 era—we would be wise to consider the needs of family and play it smart. Our beliefs about COVID-19 don't matter. Our proactive response does. I don't know what winter may bring. For all I or anyone else knows, we may open completely. All I'm suggesting is we take a lesson from a creature that's .75 millime- ters in length, but who knows the value of readiness and sustainability. WRITTEN BY CHRIS JONES letter to readers The Wisdom of ANTS Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest

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