Now that school is out, many grandparents will be taking over childcare duties this summer. And if summer plans call for trips to the pool or a lake, there are a few safety tips that are worth repeating before packing the sunblock and towels. ...

As you're bracing for (or embracing) the cacophony of backyard fireworks this Fourth of July, you might be surprised to learn that, more than a century ago, Cleveland women's groups tried to ban the noisy and dangerous celebrations. ...

Parents usually want to leave their children equal shares of their estate, but equal isn’t always fair. If you plan to provide more (or less) for one child in your estate plan, preparation is important.  ...

We hope you were able to attend Boomer Bash West at Crocker Park with our festive Hollywood theme. If not, here's what you missed. If so, you may see yourself on the video highlights below. Keep watching our website for details of our autumn Boomer Bash. ...

Remember when summer was one, long, sun-filled season of possibilities that lasted forever?  Then, suddenly, it became a muggy flash interrupted by Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Reclaim the season! Our May/June issue is full of suggestions for putting the fun back into summer. ...

When you or a friend have limited mobility, whether from a permanent disability or a recent surgery or illness, little things mean a lot. Here's what that looks like: if you had knee or foot surgery recently, a two-inch curb to a sidewalk can seem like a mountain when you're navigating it with crutches or a walking cast. Accessibility counts. ...

The heat. The bugs. The humidity. Not a summer person? We get it; the season feels stickier and steamier the older we get. But warm temperatures and sunshine are short-lived in Northeast Ohio. Leave the air conditioning behind and let our Summer Fun Guide tempt you with our completely biased and absolutely random list of 50 things to do and places to go. ...

Editor’s Note

Maybe I’ve been watching too many home makeover shows — and there’s a 100% chance that’s true — but I’m tackling a renovation of my own this summer: Control Revamp 2022.

Big stuff, minor stuff, it doesn’t matter. I’ve stockpiled a lifetime of frustration trying to force things to happen that are beyond my influence. I’m done with it.

Here’s an example that should have taken me down this road of revelation decades ago but didn’t: When I was 16, I lost my driver’s education certificate, a document required for the driving part of the license exam. 

Unwilling to wait three weeks for a replacement, I borrowed a friend’s certificate, erased her name and typed mine in. An inexpert forgery by a teenager on a typewriter in the public library breakroom where I worked that summer should have been an easy catch for the license bureau worker, but he missed it. 

I took my driving test and got my license, but was busted almost immediately because the chagrined examiner realized (while I didn’t) that the certificate had a date indicating it had been used to get a driver’s license the week earlier. 

After an intimidating interview by a state trooper, a sobering appearance before a court referee, and a fine that took a chunk of my summer wages, I was dealt the biggest punishment of all: I had to wait six months before taking the test again.

Lessons Not Learned
I won’t rehash other Failure To Control issues in the decades since then. In hindsight, I should have learned to let things play out, see what happens, go with the flow. Apply your own euphemism.

My epiphany came last month when I tried snorkeling for the first time. I have an enormous amount of confidence when tackling new things, a confidence based on scant evidence and few skills.

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