Childhood Unplugged

Vic and I both grew up in neighborhoods
where the kids who lived around us
were some of our very best friends.
Games of man hunt and bike rides until dinner time
occurred weekly, if not daily.
Football was played in front yards and cul-de-sacs,
dances and skits were created in family rooms
then immediately shown to all parents and siblings,
cheer practice happened out back,
and the Snoopy Snow Cone maker was a summer time staple.

In this age of organized, drop off play dates
and endless practices and activities,
and homework in the first grade,
it's so refreshing to "get back to the basics"
every once in a while.
One of things we have come to love most about
our new development is that it lets our girls have that same
kind of relationship with the neighborhood kiddos.

If we are home in the afternoon or on the weekends,
we can expect the doorbell to ring for an impromptu play date,
or to run into buddies while we're out for a scooter ride
and suddenly find that an hour has passed
and all the kids are still playing.

It's lots of fun to celebrate birthdays
and block parties and holidays with these families.
To be invited over for spur of the moment evening swimming,
to stroll down a few houses and take the family's dog, Champ for a walk,
to welcome this wonderful fall weather
and linger outside just a bit longer than necessary.
Here's to a childhood that's just as fun when we are "unplugged"!