"CLASSIC" ANN LANDERS (R) by Ann Landers on Creators.com

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RELEASE: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2012 Editor's Note: Hundreds of Ann Landers' loyal readers have requested that newspapers continue to publish her columns. These letters originally appeared in 1999. Dear Readers: Several readers have written to say it was easier to get off cocaine than …Read more. RELEASE: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2012 Editor's Note: Hundreds of Ann Landers' loyal readers have requested that newspapers continue to publish her columns. These letters originally appeared in 1999. Dear Ann Landers: Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with kidney disease. My mother told me …Read more. RELEASE: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2012 Editor's Note: Hundreds of Ann Landers' loyal readers have requested that newspapers continue to publish her columns. These letters originally appeared in 1999. Dear Ann Landers: Too many parents have no idea what goes on all day in school, and yet, …Read more. RELEASE: SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2012 Editor's Note: Hundreds of Ann Landers' loyal readers have requested that newspapers continue to publish her columns. These letters originally appeared in 1999. Dear Ann Landers: I am the mother of a very confused 5-year-old boy. His father and I …Read more.

Classic Ann Landers, January 24

Editor's Note: Hundreds of Ann Landers' loyal readers have requested that newspapers continue to publish her columns. These letters originally appeared in 1999.

Dear Ann Landers: My wife and I recently returned from a vacation in Nevada. As senior citizens, we enjoy the entertainment and wonderful food the gaming casinos provide for their customers. What troubled us greatly was the lack of attention given children by their parents. Very late one evening, we observed two preteen girls asking for money in exchange for pressing the floor button for adults riding the elevator. Another time, we observed a child, about 8 years old, walking through the casino alone, drinking leftover alcoholic beverages.

We live in dangerous times. While security personnel are there to help, they cannot do everything. Please tell those parents who ignore their children that while they entertain themselves, they are gambling with something far more precious than money. — Seniors in North Hollywood, Calif.

Dear North Hollywood Seniors: Children under age 21 should not be allowed in gaming casinos, and many establishments prohibit them from entering. Most hotels provide baby-sitters for young children, which makes more sense than bringing them to gaming rooms, where they are easily bored and forced to stay up long past their bedtime.

Parents who want a real vacation should leave the children home with a reliable family member or a paid adult.

Dear Ann Landers: Recently, you printed a letter about water safety for children. I realize the letter was about children in swimming pools, but I would like to add one more rule that could save lives no matter where you are swimming: NEVER SWIM ALONE.

Ocean swimming is different from a dip in a quiet inland lake or a pool. The undertow can take you down, no matter how good a swimmer you are. I've seen three drownings, and it's a horrible experience to drag a once-vibrant body from the mud and debris at the bottom of a lake or ocean. I wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy. — L.F. in Calabash, N.C.

Dear L.F.: Your three-word warning could save lives. I'll repeat it: NEVER

SWIM ALONE.

Feeling pressured to have sex? How informed are you? Write for Ann Landers' booklet "Sex and the Teenager." Send a self-addressed, long, business-sized envelope and a check or money order for $3.75 (this includes postage and handling) to: Teens, c/o Ann Landers, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To find out more about Ann Landers and read her past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

ANN LANDERS (R)

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