Carefree Summer Days

In today’s world of television, computer games, organized sports, and over-scheduled time, I often find myself longing for the “good-old days” for my boys: for unsupervised outdoor play, for wanderings in the woods, tadpole catching in a stream, and care-free summer days. My summers as a child were filled with outdoor fun from morning until night: playing in the creek, ice cream cones at the pool, games of tag, climbing trees, and wandering the neighborhood with friends.

I try to let the boys enjoy care-free outdoor days, but I struggle with how far to let them wander unsupervised, how long to let an argument go before jumping in, and how to let them just be boys while still keeping them safe. Some days, though, the “carefree boy fun” just finds us, and I’m able to sit back, watch and smile. Today was one of those days. We drove through an out-of-nowhere thunderstorm, complete with hail, to get to a local park for a picnic lunch with friends. By the time we arrived at the park, the rains had moved on, the sky was beautiful and clear, and the mud was perfect for running, sliding, and having an all around good time.

Even better than the thick, red mud was the bubbling stream a short walk away! The boys swam, splashed, and cleaned off – a bit. We drew a few looks from passers-by: a couple laughs and a few hmphs, but while watching the boys have this much fun, all I could do was smile.