Dear Abby: Young girl's presence at playground raises serious questions

DEAR ABBY: To help out his parents, I pick up my grandson from day care two days a week. I recently started taking him to a local park for about 45 minutes before I take him home. I'm physically active and climb the slides, chase him around and play with him. He loves our time together.

Over the last two weeks, there has been a little 6-year-old girl at the park who seems to be on her own. Her parents, I assume, are in the parking lot. They are not in the park play area.

The time we are there is the same time school gets out, so I'm sure she goes there every day after school. She has attached herself to us and wants me to go down the slide with her, push her on the swings and chase her constantly, and she asks me to watch her do this or that. Whatever we are doing, she is right there.

She is cute and sweet, but she is taking my time away from my grandson. Also, my grandson is annoyed at someone else demanding my time which also distracts me from keeping a close eye on him. There isn't another park we can go to that is nearby, and he loves this particular one. The girl is always there when we go. At first, I tried to include her in our play but that made it worse because she wanted more attention.

I am a retired teacher, so I understand she is craving attention from an adult, but she's really impeding on our play time together. How do I politely ask her to leave us alone? — DISTRACTED GRANDMA IN FLORIDA

DEAR GRANDMA: You are assuming that the little girl HAS a parent in the parking lot. The next time you see her, ask her who is there with her — mom, dad, aunt, caregiver? If you do, you can either meet the person and explain the problem or realize that no responsible adult is looking after her. If this is the case, for heaven's sake, report it to the school or CPS because leaving her all alone is child endangerment.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 66-year-old woman who has worked full time for 47 years, in addition to raising two children and maintaining a home. I will be retiring in three months because, honestly, I'm tired of the rat race.

I'm single and don't have a boyfriend. I have plenty of friends and family, but I'm increasingly nervous about what I'll do with my spare time. I know I should feel happy and grateful that I'm able to retire, but at the same time, I'm having anxiety over this freedom. Have you any suggestions to offer? — STOPPING SOON IN TEXAS

DEAR STOPPING: Start making a list of what your interests are. Your retirement years could offer you the chance to travel and see the wonders this country has to offer. You could take adult education classes at a nearby college or university. You might like to volunteer some time on projects or charities in your community. Or you could just hang out with friends. How you choose to spend your free time is entirely up to you and limited only by your imagination.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

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