HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR READERS: With kids back in school, the younger ones need to be reminded of precautions for their safety:

Make sure they know their full name, phone number (including area code), their address and parents’ names. If a car is following them or if a stranger asks for directions, do not approach the car, run in the opposite direction.

If they feel scared or if a stranger is bothering them but there isn’t a policeman near, run to a woman who has kids with her. Most women will protect a frightened child.

If a stranger grabs them, scream as loudly as they can. Make a scene, kick and shout for help.

Never put your child’s name on clothing, lunchbox or anything else. Children tend to trust someone who calls them by their name.

Tell them no one has the right to touch them in private areas of the body. If someone tries to do that, they are to shout “No” and run away.

DEAR HELOISE: I asked my daughter-in-law, a gifted seamstress, to make a small pillow from my old wedding dress as a memento of my wedding in 1953. She suggested that she also create a ring bearer’s pillow for each of my five granddaughters to use at their weddings someday.

— Martha P., Flint, Mich.

DEAR HELOISE: As a lawyer, I handle a lot of wills and estate issues. It would be so much easier for families if the deceased would have made out a proper will, outlining who gets what. It would save a number of family feuds. Handwritten wills do not always stand up in court, and no one can vouch whether the person was sober and in his or her right mind when the will was made. A lawyer can guide a client and advise them on what is legal and what is not.

— James L., York, Pa.

DEAR HELOISE: My fiance and I plan on a cruise for our honeymoon, but I have a few concerns. How do we know our ship will be clean and safe? — Hannah and Jake Blaine, Minn.

DEAR READER: Most cruise lines are fastidious when it comes to cleanliness. There are separate freezers and storage areas for chicken, seafood, bread and vegetables, and those storage areas are cleaned regularly. They attend to the passengers’ rooms with the same care they give their food storage and preparation, so don’t worry.

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email Heloise@Heloise.com