I am so excited at the prospect of having a new playground for the children of our area at Tracy Park. Kiwanis has done a tremendous job of raising the money, and citizens and businesses made generous donations to make the project happen. It is my hope that the project will move forward as quickly as possible.

Through the entire issue is the specter of Mound Park. It is now being said that Tracy Park was selected instead of Mound Park because of the things that go on at Mound Park, that are not being monitored.

At last week’s Portsmouth City Council meeting some disturbing charges were made of illicit sexual activity and drug use going on in Mound Park. What makes it doubly disturbing is that it reportedly involves children and teenagers.

It would seem to me there are two things that would help curb the activity. One would be enforcement of a curfew. There should never be any activity after dark in any city park. If the word would get out that a curfew was being enforced, I believe it would discourage such activity.

But there is no substitute for parental responsibility.

I agree with Allison Kalb, who spoke at Monday’s Council meeting. Parents should know where their children are at all times. This should start at a very early age. Unfortunately it does not. Parents relegate the rearing of their children to the TV or a computer. The child receives nothing but negative input, no guidance, and no parameters of behavior. I have seen these mothers who bring their 14-year-olds on these TV talk shows, asking for them to be sent to some kind of boot camp, because they can’t do anything with them. Listen — if they have had no parental control by the time they are 14, it is probably going to be too late.

In many cases, parents neither stimulate nor nurture the educational aspects of their children’s lives, but instead turn them over to teachers to not only educate, but to motivate them academically. Teachers need help. And that means parental involvement in their child’s education.

I was fortunate to have grown up in an age in which people didn’t have air conditioning, so their windows and doors were always open. Neighbors watched the children, and if you did something mischievous, your mother knew about it by the time you got home. We knew where we could and couldn’t go. We were taught respect for the property of others. And we knew there were consequences for irresponsible actions.

When 14-year-olds and 15-year-olds are hanging around a park at night, it is the parents who are at fault — period.

So let’s solve both issues. Let’s be aware of where our children are at all times. And let’s move forward with the new playground facility for the children of our community.

Again, a big “hats off” to Robin Hamm-LaValley and the Kiwanians for continuing to bring positive progress to the city.