Sound a... lull Mutt-I Nani" “a raao----sqtltP.et2e.,9, How interesting it was to hear from Statistics Canada last week that a record 693,000 students will be enrolled in universities and colleges; this fall. - -. . . . Moving vans, loaded-down pickups, full parking lots at the various campuses, and long lines at our pubs seem to confirm the fact locally that yes, post-secondary education is alive and well. And that once again, sleepy K-W will soon be awakened again by the vitality and zeal that only the products of our universities can create. f? But while we extend a big welcome to the kids returning to WLU, UW and Conestoga College, isn't it a bit strange that StatsCan should report the reason for the overflow eroird at those institutions is the economy - or lack of it? -rciGiriiiiiunitiikdn spokes'man Zoltan Zsigmond, even with all factors considered, unemployment is- the prime reason for the record high enrolment this tear A . . a - Vfoothér GGii,"lrfdu Zan’t get a job, heék, just go back to school, sidestepping reality for, another semgstef or two. That seems to be a bit of a slap on the face to the educational system, and the excellent reputations of programs offered in this city, to be equated to a notable extent as hostels for wayward youth. Wasn't it just last spring we heard so much about the crises of students then enrolled at college or university NOT being able to continue their education because of an inability to support it through lack of surnmer employment? "iii7CiG -dririGiirdniiid with figures thin ishow university enrolment will be up 3.2% and college enrolment up 1.9% over the same time last year. People should attend university or college because they want to enrich their learning experience, yes with hopes of broadening theireatetr scope. - _ -- -- .. . .. rather maudlin line only too often, "Christmas is for the children." And commercially it is, as we go out and buy them " times as many presents as we got when we were kids. “iult I'd like to amend that slogan somewhat. and make it, "Summer is for the children." I'm talking from experi- As summer waned. I was waning quite a bit along with it. I've been swimming twice. haven't even had my golf clubs out of the bag, and haven't dipped a fishing line in the water. Sounds like a total blank. but it wasn't. Instead of participatiqg. l 'Ts poaching: Two grandsons, eight and six, were to spend July with us. Four weeks. I knew it was going to be hectic, but I figured we could stand it. And we did. If “standing it" means being on your knees when they left. But it was a great experience. For the kick. They went to day cum). The older oneiearnediodive liken "al,theyountrer to swim. They were already con artists. hut honed their skills on their grandtather by developing 3 “than and overwhelming thin! madame we got near a gap ated, REY-W" up} ev-r-ttri-they cmmnamenhgdsmdm TOWARD Christmas, we hear 7 that _. Migawgl. how thtse kids can eat! Each of Schools forthought - putt-rd-woot-trr-ttrr'"", a division of Kitcttortqr-Watertoo Record Ltd., owetSr 225 Fairway Rd.S.. Kitctteoor,,oett. w-oct-c-cot-tmt-ttera-ttrt"!!??'?', G7iiiiiiiaiiobiroaratotmhct.uefterrfeytttfy"r ot mo balding Open Monday to Flay, 0:00 " to soo on. mm» con-um to Vina-too other: " Erb St. E, Wuerho. 0M. nu ILL t.tegheme was. an“; "" them eats more than my wife and I put together. Our grocery bill shot up astro- nomically. How their mother is going to feed them in another couple of years I have no idea. But they weren't the only ones to learn a lot during the summer. I did. I learned, or re-leamed, a lot about what makes little boys tick. what makes them suddenly sullen and silent. or gabby and gregarious, what drives them into a sudden fist fight out of the blue, and how to threaten. coerce, and tease them into going to bed after 14 hours of non-stop activity. I learned how to stand still and allow them to climb me like a ladder, so that I could serve as a diving board. l learned a new type of baseball in which six hits and you‘re out. I learned that, with the utmost concentration. I can beat tr-year-old Nikov in chess. [learned a good deal about soccer: that ,oirmretwttyehetyottNettht beck lawn while the dew is heavy] learned that kids will eat a peanut butter aaadt-evsandwichatartyttourott- origgrtieamedtutirrtrtttvoMsa, centimeter. they wait a kilometer. I learned that. even at eight. boys these -ee-eittuaotttteirhairdo: WamdeuemJleu-nod ',tt,tA"g,ht,',g,'t't.tteatl= ttt-ae-giamrtieh.heyn_d Publisher: Paul “Hitler Manager: Bill Karges Editor: Rick Campbell -tattttahqtttSt50 (cheap) tennis rackets out of four in two days. and quickly destroyed other in- struments of pleasure by stepping on them, using them to smash something. or pulling them apart to see how they work. I re-learned how an older brother can look after a younger. and how a younger tries to emulate everything the older one does, at the risk of breaking his neck. I went through it with my kid brother years ago. but I hy, forgotten. . I detested him because he was always following me and my gang around, even though I'd threaten him with horrible things if he didn't stop. But l.never let anyone bully him. And he stood up for me. Each time rd get in a fight in the schoolyard. which was fairly often, he'd stand by and cry his head off. Similarly. Nik despises Ballad at times. but when there's a crisis (chest cold. wasp stings. a bad tumble) he puts his arm around him, coos sympathy like a mother, and leads him to Gran or Grandad for treatment. Typical. They were playing baseball one day. I sat watching and waiting for a window to be smashed. Suddenly Ballad began scream“ with pain. He'd natal-ed into a bee's nest that we weren‘t awal'e of, ashewrsuedatripleJqdhadbeenstuag 1m. _ NM Gnu“ In: In. W. “M lull-l. .odhirasirr,ir'aorxnaradttis -Battrtd.hetteesatatq BILL SMILEY him." I dredged up an old memory of putting baking soda on bee stings. We did, along with ice cubes, and 10 minutes later we were out slaughtering those bees with spray. Nikov killing them mercilessly. I mentioned coaching. Maybe I'll switch to teaching Physical Education this fail. I taught the little guy to keep his eye on the ball. not his brother, when he was hitting baseballs to be fielded. He got it, and was soon hitting them deep into the jungle around our backyard. I taught them not to kick a hard soccer ban directly at the head of their grand- mother. I taught them that when you were diving off a rock, you made sure you weren't diving onto another rock. - I could gout, but it's boring. But I learned one more thing. When you have Gratings for a wrkend, youve _deiitrh.ted But the I(ulcer you have them, the more you miss them when they leave. No more Balirtd um: “I don’t want to live in a tta-neat "NI-talent. I just want to live in " ordinary house like this." He wanted to May ttqttl CIIrlaunaa. No more leov. cooking very carefully 'er-tBed “I! for the gang and apologlt- In. about their texture. No more We little cow-heads side by side, than: Ilka exhausted angels. Or to see them, and overidved when they leave. '