Summers are meant to be filled with trips to the beach, late nights by the fire and cookouts. You go through the motions of growing up and you think that even when you get older you will still have the same joy of knowing summer is coming. Summer may just mean more time off of work for adults while it means attending camps for kids.
Adults have to fun in the summer too, so why were summers growing up so much better?
1. Day Trips
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Waking up early to go to the water park or amusement park was the best! And talk about soaking up the summer sun while waiting in lines for your favorite rides, and getting ice cream on the way out of the park!
2. No School/No Work
Once June hits, it’s freedom until August or September. No more early mornings unless they result in ending up at the beach or a water park. No more worrying about school projects, quizzes or tests. I mean sure some towns “require” summer readings or math packets but that can wait until at least August.
3. Endless Time in the Sun
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No place to be? No worries, sit out at the pool. Gather up all the neighborhood kids and play kickball, roll out the slip n’ slide or go for a swim. Just remember to put on sunscreen so that you don’t miss out on the fun tomorrow.
4. Lemonade Stands
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There’s nothing like cold lemonade on a hot day in the middle of summer. At 25 cents a cup, how could you not stop? Lemonade stands popped up everywhere once summer hit, run by innocent little children who just wanted money to add to their piggy banks.
5. Camps
Whether it was sports, dance, art or the classic YMCA summer camp, camps made summer fun. You always made sure you had friends going to camp the same week and would be there to trade snacks at lunch. By the time camp was over for the day or week, you had so many memories, new friends and new skills.
6. Sleepovers
Summer meant no official bedtime right? Sleepovers consumed my childhood summers. They were spent sitting out by the fire and singing Disney karaoke or playing a board game on the floor when you were supposed to be “sleeping.”
Summers as a kid felt long and were filled with pure joy. Summer as an adult feels short and although they can be filled with pure joy, they are also filled with work and appointments.