Friday, May 27, 2011

Do you remember.... the end of the school year?

Today is the last day of school for my niece and nephew.  It seems to early for school to be out, I think most schools around here do not let out for another two weeks.

I can remember the end of the school year so well.  When we were little it meant field trips to the zoo or to Kennywood.  It mean school picnics where we ate button candy and Fla Vor Ice pops (eating those still takes me back to childhood).  It meant cleaning out desks in elementary school, and lockers in middle and high school.  It meant 3 months of freedom, swimming, staying up late, and summer league sports.

When I was a kid, summer for me also meant not seeing my friends as often, and having to "catch up" when the new year started.  With social media and smart phones, kids these days are never out of touch, so the end of the school year is not as dramatic.  I was not the kind of kid to do a lot of socializing over the summer.  In high school, it would pretty much be me and my best friend or me and my boyfriend hanging out, and that was it.  I was the nerdy kid who read all summer, and did extra worksheets.  I was never one to be all that excited about the end of the year.

I wish that grown ups got summers off.  I wish that Hubby and I could take the entire summer off to be with our friends.  But unfortunately, life is not like that.  I wish these kids knew how lucky they were, to get a break from life for a bit.  What us old fogies would not give for 3 months of freedom.