Tips for Enjoying the Summertime

Summertime is a wonderful time to have fun and be merry. There are many wonderful things I remember about summer as a child that I strive to capture as an adult. I believe I am not the only one who tries to re-capture and remember their childhood now that they are in adult. Here are some tips to remembering your childhood:

The first way to remember your childhood is through the sounds of summer. Many of my summertime memories included laughter, however each on my summertime memories included many other sounds too. For me, I re-captured childhood summertime with a fan. I turned the fan on and I began to relax. It brought me back to childhood when we didn't have air conditioning. Now, I run the fan on at night and leave the AC off. It brings back warm emotions and saves money. Another sound I remember from childhood was the wind whistling through the doors. Our house had two doors (back and front) directly across from each other. My mom would open the front door and back door (leaving the screen doors shut). The wind blew through the house (and we didn't live in a windy neighborhood) and made a whistling and squealing sound. It was so comforting and peaceful. We also had a small air conditioning unit in an upstairs back room and an attic fan. Whenever I hear the sounds of either of these, it brings me straight back to childhood.

The next way to remember your childhood is through the tastes of childhood. For many of us, this may be lemonade or Kool-Aid on a hot summer day. Summertime for a child is filled with all kinds of tastes. To bring back these memories, remember what your mom offered you to eat. For me, summertime food included lemonade, iced tea (made on the back porch), ice cubes for sucking on, homemade Popsicles, tapioca pudding, apple juice, macaroni and cheese, Corn on the Cob, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and Hinckley Schmidt water. My favorite summertime dessert was mom's homemade strawberry rhubarb pie. To capture the tastes of summer, think back to summer as a kid and remember what you ate!

Another way to remember your summer as a child is through the smells of summer. Reminders of summer as a child for me include freshly cut grass watered with a sprinkler (of course we ran through), the smell of dirt and mud, and the smell of water falling on my face while playing outside under the sprinkler, the smell of a chlorinated swimming pool, and many smells of vacationing in the northern woods of Wisconsin. Think hard, I bet you can remember the smells of childhood too!

My favorite way to remember childhood is through the sights of being a child. This takes more concentration. You will need to think hard about this. For a child, they see things differently. Some of the sights of summer may be a sprinkler, a friends backyard, the face of a friend. These are best remembered through memories, photos or visiting your old neighborhood.

Bring back the feel of summertime. The best way to do this is to get a hug. If your mom and dad are still around, get a hug from them. If not, a husband or child or friend will work too. If your childhood wasn't filled with love & laughter, it is not too late to create the wonderful feel of summertime. Give a hug and you are sure to get one given back to you!

If you approach summer like a child, you will have an enjoyable time. You may even feel like a kid again. Re-capture your childhood with the sights, sounds, tastes, smell & feel of summertime. Your children will love it if you would share about your childhood & you will enjoy remembering. Plus, if you remember you can pass on the wondrous joys of your childhood summertime to your child!