Remembering Summers Past

Every summer at about this time, I get a bit nostalgic. Although as an adult the Fall is my favorite season...growing up, summer was my favorite time, hands down. The obvious reason....we were on Summer Break, was the main one...but I got to spend carefree summer days with my friends.

I grew up in the Bronx, a borough of the Big Apple that makes up a 5th of New York City. My neighborhood was in the Kingsbridge area. This area is a far cry from the Bronx depicted in movies as poverty stricken, dirty, and sprinkled with violence. This area was filled with neighbors who looked out for one another and sincerely cared for thier neighborhood. The building was well maintained and a stranger would know he was being carefully watched by its residents.

I suppose that is why my mother had no problem sending us off to the park after lunch to spend the days till the street lamp turned on, hanging out with our friends in the park. It was always the same group of us...riding bikes, playing hopscotch, riding the swings and the see-saws, or playing make believe. Every now and then we would chat with the many adults that were sitting in the park either enjoying the weather, watching thier toddlers play, or chatting with other neighbors. As we got older, it was listening to music, choreographing dances, and just laughing and joking around. But it was always the same group of us, enjoying each others company and watching the lazy summer days pass by. Our parents never worried that we were unsafe. They knew that we were together and that there were neighbors around us to assure that we remained that way.

As I remember this it pains me to know that the world we live in today is so different. Summer for my two consists of me planning out thier days and entertaining them. I plan occasional playdates with friends, but it is never unplanned as mine once were. For me, we met at the park and just enjoyed the day. Sometimes some of the friends would be out for the day, or away on vacation, but there was always someone else in the park to play with and that was fun! Right now, Leilani can not wait to get back to school so that she can see her friends again. If she saw 4 of her friends over this summer it was alot. If she got together for 4 playdates it was alot too. Growing up, I never really had that feeling of anxiousness to see them, because many of them I saw everyday. Unfortunately in todays world we can not allow our kids to roam the neighborhood freely. The carefree days of summers past are gone. Today, we have to carefully plan our children's intereaction with friends in order to insure thier safety. We can not trust that the person next door will protect our child as my mother once did.

The carefree days are over. And it is sad to know that Leilani and Christopher will not have those same cherished carefree summer memories that I have.