Rain, Rain Go Out and Play

Rain, Rain Go out and Play!

Aww shucks! The last day of school last Tuesday was a wash out. What usually is the happiest day of the year for most students, became a downpour of torrential rains that seemed to be June’s MO and brought any opportunity for outdoor celebrations to a complete halt.

What’s funny about rain is that it is the same thing we swim in, wash ourselves with, and drink. Yet the littlest of droplets have us all running for cover to not get wet. Meanwhile, ball games are cancelled at the drop of a drop so not to mess up the fields, and weather forecasters are once again happy about their job security. 

I remember as a kid, my mother actually sending us out in downpours (Probably because we were getting on her nerves being inside too long). When we realized there was no risk of lightening or thunder, my sisters and any other neighborhood kid on the street would walk out with or without umbrellas and play rainy day outdoor games. There truly is something miraculously fun about being soaking wet and playing outside on the warm summer day with friends. Finding puddles to splash in, or float a boat in, play kick ball in the rain and run the bases in mud puddles were just ways we could entertain ourselves outside.

“ A good day to be a duck” is the old adage and a humorous little reminder that a rainy day was not bad news for everyone. A little mud doesn’t hurt either. Getting wet, a little grubby and having fun is what makes childhood memories. Of course safety must come first. So making sure that it is just rain, and playing in safe areas where the rain doesn’t build up to much to be a danger.

This summer, if it starts to rain…send your kids outside and maybe even yourself to get a little wet and wild. It’s just water. Have fun!