Longing for an old-fashioned summer
Posted on June 7, 2011 by FoBaM-Jamie
Last week, someone sent me a 100-part Facebook question about the summer activities of my childhood. It’s not like I have time to answer 100 questions about Kool-aid, red rover, and climbing trees, but it was a walk down memory lane that I couldn’t resist. I found myself smiling as the questions triggered recollections about the homemade Chinese Jacks set I designed one summer, the hours I spent in the woods with my dog, and playing my treasured 45s on the turntable in my bedroom (yes, I’m that old). Even things my daughter would consider inhumane now glow with the warm patina of nostalgia: life with only half a dozen television channels (and no remote!), chores done for free, grocery bag book covers.
The made it all too easy to see the differences between my childhood summers and my daughter’s. As they say, “times have changed.” I was fortunate a fortunate child. Summertime stretched out before me the way that languorous season should. The days were unscheduled and lazy. We weren’t allowed to watch more than a half hour of television (my sister and I chose “I Love Lucy”), so the rest of each long day was wide open for us to fill with our imaginations and ingenuity.
I spent most of my time either outdoors or with my nose in a book. I also did a fair amount of drawing and journaling. There were many trips to the local library where we’d sit on battered beanbag chairs and roam up and down the shelves, trying to find the perfect adventure story to haul up into our tree house. The swing my dad built kept us occupied for hours, as did the old deck of Bicycle brand cards (after my mom taught us to play solitaire).
My summers were wonderful. They were an actual respite from the school year – giving me the gift of unstructured time. I was able to unwind, explore the world, and spend time with myself. My daughter’s summers are also wonderful, but in a different way. She will attend at least two different, full-day camps. She’ll have a couple weeks off with her dad, and I’ll take some time off as well. Even so, her summer itinerary is nearly as busy as her school year one. Throw in some play dates, errands, and our usual outings and it quickly goes from dog days to crazy days.
When I was my daughter’s age, summer seemed like it might go on forever. Maybe it’s just the perspective of my age, but I feel like it goes by in the blink of an eye now. It’s a few measly weeks sandwiched between the end of one school year and the start of the next.
I want to take summer back this year. I want my daughter to experience some of the freedom and downtime that I had as a kid. I want to give her days of doing nothing and see what she does with them. I want to leave her to her own devices so she can hear her own voice in her head. I want to help her step off the rollercoaster of life for a minute, let her catch her breath, help her enjoy the stillness.
It won’t be easy. As a self-employed single mom, I’ve got a lot of responsibility to uphold, but I’m determined to give my little girl a taste of my old-fashioned summers. Maybe I’ll teach her to play Chinese Jacks.
Image Credit: Aitor Escuariaza
I’m so glad you have such fond summer memories. As a mom with a part-time job, I always worried that I was doing you and your sister a disservice by leaving you with a babysitter! I have fond memories of long summer days with my best friend in the mid ’50s playing with our Ginny dolls! We’d transform the entire brick patio into a miniature world (the dolls were only eight inches tall!). I do worry today that kids do not have enough dowmtime in which to explore and develop their imaginations and learn to love their own company.
You’ve got nothing to feel guilty about mom – it’s all beautiful memories. Wish we could go back to the “good old days.”
Thank you so much for bringing me back to the good old days of summer! I wish so much that my kids could experience the summers I had. Riding my bike anywhere and everywhere, days at the library, running blocks to follow the ice cream truck and staying outside with my friends past the time the street lights went on are some of the memories I had. We didn’t need tv or trips to the mall. We used our imagination to have fun. We built forts and played in the sprinkler. We played in fields where there are now houses upon houses built and we would come home head to toe in dirt. We walked to the playground by ourselves, to the candy store by ourselves and stayed at our friends houses all day long. Oh the memories. I am smiling ear to ear right now!
So glad you are smiling ear-to-ear!
You are so right – we needed almost nothing … just time and the freedom to entertain ourselves. Kids don’t often have either luxury these days, and what a tragedy that is. Summer is when the world opened up to us.
I read your article and the tears started pouring down my cheeks. I am the mother of three amazing kids and i would give anything to turn back the hands of time for them and myself as well and be able to experience that time in history.
I grew up in the 80s and even then it was nothing like it is today. Even then i could enjoy many of the things you spoke of. But not now. Now its just not safe. Too many predators and pitfalls that we have to steer our children clear of. Thank you for sharing your thoughts for the many of us that long for a simpler time…a safer time.