When I was a girl growing up in Richmond, summers were different but in many ways the same as they are now.
Although we all longed for summer holidays to come, we soon missed the social stimulation of school and wanted to see our friends. Going to our neighbourhood school meant all our friends were a quick walk or bike ride away. On a sunny day with nothing to do, I would hop on my bike and ride around, often with one of my sisters and find some other kids to do something with. We might go by the school park (a good place to find kids, and still is!) or go knocking on neighbours' doors. We created fun for ourselves in the backyards and the back lanes in our neighbourhood. Although we usually weren't in structured activities over the summer, we dropped by outreach programs at our school park - I still remember doing some tie-dye project there. Some days I enjoyed curling up with a book under our weeping willow tree and enjoying some peace and quiet.
This week, the first full week of holidays for the boys, the sun has finally come out. The boys have gone out longboarding and found kids at the school playground! Colin texted a friend yesterday and coordinated a bike ride to the local high school. This morning as I busied myself in the kitchen, I smiled as I listened to Colin and three of his friends coordinate an afternoon water fight via Skype.
This afternoon as I worked on my computer, I listened to the shouts and screams of four twelve-year old boys in our backyards - waterfight extreme and then some slipping 'n sliding. There seemed to be some sort of stunt competition, which is no big surprise!
So although how things might come about in the summer (texting, cell phones, Skyping) has changed, summer is still a time to get out, explore a bit, have some freedom and enjoy the sunshine!
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