The Do's and Don'ts of Summertime

Hooray, summer is finally here!  If that three-day heat wave last week didn’t convince you, then the pain you feel in your jaw from clenching your teeth during the first full week of school vacation certainly will.  We’ve got about 10 weeks before the leaves begin to change and those lovable yellow busses cart our children back to school.  So here’s a list of do’s and don’ts to help you make the most of your summer.

DO enjoy the great outdoors.  Whether you’re camping, boating, lounging by a friend’s pool or digging your toes into the sand, take a moment to appreciate the sun on your face and the breeze on your skin.  Take a mental picture of whatever you’re doing at that moment so you can savor it in January when you’re scraping an inch of ice off your windshield.

DON’T forget to apply the proper sunscreen and bug spray when you spend time outdoors.  No one enjoys being mistaken for a lobster after a day at the beach.  Our days of lying on tinfoil and slathering baby oil on our bodies are over.   Pale skin is in; sporting “…the savage tan” will prompt concern from friends about premature aging and skin cancer.  And be sure to use DEET if ticks or mosquitos are around.  Lime in your drink is great.  Lyme in your body is not.

DO take advantage of all the fresh fruit and vegetables available during the summer months.  Blueberries, corn, tomatoes, peaches and zucchini are some of my favorite summer foods.  Buy local whenever possible.  Check out the various farmers markets that crop up this time of year, or visit your local farm stand.  Or you can tiptoe over to your neighbor’s house in the middle of the night and poach some of the tomatoes growing in their garden.  Just kidding.  Seriously, wait till they go on vacation and then strike.

DO give your kids extra chores over the summer.  It’s great that they have a break from schoolwork, but if your kids are anything like mine, they’re just tempted to fill in those extra hours with video games and television.  On the last day of school, my kids and I had a discussion about which chores they felt they could assume. As I type this, my son is acquainting himself with the miracle of scrubbing bubbles.  Yay, cleaning the bathroom is like a science experiment! Emptying the dishwasher, watering the plants and mowing the lawn are no longer part of my ‘to-do’ list.  By the end of the summer, they’ll be dying for homework.

DO enjoy a good book.  Dive into that epic novel you’ve always wanted to read, or enjoy a string of mindless beach reads.  Encourage your children to read throughout the summer.  Remind them of how much fun it can be when they don’t have to fill out a daily reading log.  Check out the school’s suggested reading recommendations, as well as ones from Barnes & Noble and Amazon.  Visit your local library and enjoy the cool, quiet atmosphere on a sweltering summer day. 

DO remember to drive carefully and keep an eye out for kids, teens and adults on bicycles, scooters and skateboards.  Remember that pedestrians in the crosswalk have the right of way.  DON’T think it’s ok to zoom through the crosswalk when someone’s trying to get to the playground or ball field. 

DON’T forget to eat ice cream.  Lots of it.  It’s the official sponsor of summer, right after mayonnaise-based salads and beer.  Dribbles, Far-Far’s, The Dairy Twist, JC’s, Heidi’s Hollow Farm and Peaceful Meadows…you could try a different ice cream stand each week during the summer and still not get through all of them.  If you can’t get out, flag down the ice cream truck when it drives through your neighborhood.  By the way, at what point did a distorted version of “Turkey in the Straw” become the de facto theme of ice cream trucks?  Just curious.

DO remember to go to church.   As with reading, it’s tempting to just take the summer off and resume in the fall.  I’ve spent more summer Sundays in bed than I have in church.  Yes, you can commune with God from your bed…or your boat…or your golf cart…or your jet ski.  But I find myself much more spiritually motivated when like-minded folks surround me.  In addition to a four-week bible study, I am going to try my best to get to church every Sunday that my family isn’t traveling.  Sleeping late on Sunday mornings is great, but Sunday afternoon naps are pretty awesome too.

DO remember to be safe.  No one wants to spend any portion of the summer in the emergency room.   Or the drunk tank.  Or a court room.  And most of all DO remember to have fun.  Because before you know it, summer will be over.