As school lets out and summer begins, what are some of your favorite summertime memories?

Childhood memories of summer are often synonymous with the word freedom. No homework. No getting up early to catch the bus. No having to sit at a desk for hours. Finally we had the chance to do fun stuff like pool parties, video games, bike rides, hanging out with friends.

It also meant that perhaps we grumbled more when we had to do chores. Unless, perhaps, we could do chores for which we also got paid. Then there was summer school. For some of us it was to keep our minds from forgetting all that we learned in the school year, for others of us it was to play catch up, or perhaps it was a combination of both. Summer reading programs often filled the gap.

These day-to-day activities were punctuated by summer vacations. These trips, whether by car, train, or plane, took us to places like Disney or national parks or to see family. Some trips were more fun than others. Sometimes we never wanted to go home.

Unless we work in a school system or have children of our own, we often lose sight of the joys of summer break. Or perhaps we remember the results of the boredom that could easily surface when our days were not as structured. Nevertheless, as the weather warms, perhaps we find ourselves wistfully glancing out workplace windows at the sunshine, wishing for a day to play at the beach like when we were kids.