Summer Days

I met a young boy while fishing with my son, Max.   I am not exactly into fishing and was glad when this skinny, barefoot, twelve-year-old joined us by the pond with his tackle box and fishing rod.  He showed Max what lures to use and helped him cast, all the while sharing stories about his adventures on the pond.  He waded into the water, caught a frog, and found a snake.  He was polite, friendly, and patient.  I was impressed that he was willing to share his afternoon with a four year old boy.  Max was impressed that he found a real life swamp swimming, spear fishing, turtle catching kid.  As we packed our car to leave, he walked home through the woods.

I am grew up in the country.  My friends and I spent our summer days exploring beaver dams, biking to the town pool, and playing marathon games of Monopoly.  I know the world is a different place. I know technology has changed everything.  I am sure the boy we met has plenty of video games to entertain him.  No doubt he his shuttled to various activities multiple times a week. Yet here he was walking out of the woods and into the pond and I thought, "Isn’t that what kids are supposed to do in the summer?"

Daily I see posts about kids in tournaments.  Hear about vacations cut short for skills camps.  And apparently summer now ends in August because that is when practices start for fall sports.  What happened to days with no plans instead of sports? Homemade popsicles instead of trips out for frozen yogurt?  Cooling down at the library instead of the mall? Reading a book instead of watching a movie? Real time instead of face time with friends? Being bored instead of being busy?  Enjoying the moments instead of counting the days?

The world may be a different place.  But summer hasn't changed.  The days are still long.  The rains are warm.  The frogs are still croaking and the fish are still biting. There are still plenty of chances for kids to be kids this summer. Let's let them.