Question of The Day. Saturday 4th of June

Norachan

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Good morning.
  Happy Saturday.


It's June already, almost time for school summer holidays to start. When you were a kid how did you spend your summer?

From the age of about 12 I used to live a short walk from the local riding stables. I used to spend most weekend and nearly all of my summer holiday at the stables. The  "pony girls" did a lot of the hard work there. Mucking out, sweeping the yard, cleaning all the saddles and bridles and catching the ponies first thing in the morning. It was hard work, but we really enjoyed it. Particularly in the summer when the stable owners would organise a day long picnic-ride as a way of thanking us for our help.

How about you, how did you spend your summers? 
 

di and bob

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My siblings and I walked to the movies a lot (10 cents!) and walked to the public swimming pool at the park. Always barefoot and stopping at the Dairy Queen to get our 5 cent rootbeer and 5 cent ice cream cone. I spent a lot of time reading under the shade of a tree and taking care of my 'zoo', which consisted of snakes, lizards, pigeons, a dog, Tina, a cat, Miss Muffet, turtles, fish, raccoons, various baby birds and once two baby bats. I truly enjoyed childhood in the summer and really wish I would have know to appreciate those carefree days more!  
 

Winchester

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When I was a kid, the day after school left out in the summer was the day that I went to live with Grandma for the summer. I never went back home until the day before school started back up in the fall. My cousins all lived in the same little village as Grandma and we all hung out together for the entire summer. Picnics, swimming in the creek, "tea" parties with one of my cousins on the back porch, swimming in one cousin's pool, dinners up at the community park (Grandma always baked cookies for those dinners in addition to the other food she made; she always baked the best cookies). I was really close to one of my cousins and he and I were always riding our bikes somewhere. We were supposed to check-in from time to time, but we never did. (To this day, I still adore that cousin. And when my mom died and we had her funeral, he was there with me.)

I also helped Grandma around the house with the work, some of the gardening, laundry, and other chores. The poor woman tried her best to get me interested in cooking and baking, but I wanted no part of that. I remember waking up in the morning to the smells of freshly baked bread, homemade sticky buns, and she was always, always baking cookies. Nobody could ever bake like Grandma....she was a master. 


I took piano lessons when I was young. One of my cousins had a piano and my teacher came up on Saturday mornings to give me my lessons at my cousin's house; the teacher did not believe in summers off from lessons. I was still expected to practice my lessons and my Dad said that if I didn't practice, I'd have to go back home. So I always made sure I got my piano time in. My cousin's mother always said that she loved to hear me practice. 


For a while, my parents made us go to vacation bible school for two weeks in the summer, but I had to go back home for that time and I pitched a heckuva fit one year. That ended that. My parents camped a lot and there were times I was expected to go along with them for a weekend or something like that. 

That was my summer. Every year from the time I was very little, up until I met Rick.
 
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louann jude

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I am from a big family so there was no problem with us having friends growing up because we had each other. We would all gather at my Mamaw's and play in the creek, explore the hills, have wiener and marshmallow roast go fishing. We would play in the hay lofts but my uncle always chased us out because he was afraid we would get hurt.

We had this long running soap opera pretend play we always did. We called it Little kids lost in the Forest. The concept was we was all on a plane or something it went down and all the parents died and we had to survive on our own. We had something most kids now a days don't an imagination. Which is sad really.

My favorite was the end of summer. All of us would pile up in like ten different vehicles mostly us on back of a truck. Then either go to Jenny Wiley national park or Carter Caves. It was so fun.  
 

LTS3

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When I was a kid, I didn't really do anything for the summer
  No overnight / sleepaway summer camp, the YMCA, or anything else that other kids do because we couldn't afford it. I don't think the city had any of the many free summer activities back then as they do now.  My Mom once signed me up for some (free) kids' class at the library but I hated it. Oh and there were the few summers my parents sent me to summer school / extra learning
Then there were two summers that a neighbor pulled strings to get me into a youth sports day camp for free at the local college and my parents made me go. I hated that as well since I'm not a sports person. And being the only non-white / Caucasian kid there made me feel very very self- conscious
I was in middle school at the time so that's just a weird awkward time for most kids. For some reason neither of my  brothers went to the sports camp
Both just sat at home doing nothing. So unfair. By the time high school came aroud my parents made me get a summer job. I worked in a community development office as a sort of secretary / office assistant.

Ok so the summer I was 6 years old my parents dragged us back to their native country to show us off to relatvies.  I don't remember much from the trip other than it was hot and muggy and none of the relatives spoke any English and I had a pet guinea pig during the time I was there.
 

sivyaleah

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Until we moved out of Brooklyn to New Jersey, every summer was spent at a bungalow colony in Catskills area of New York state.  My father would join us Friday night through Sunday and then have to head back to Brooklyn to work weekdays.  I have mixed good/bad memories of those summers.  Loved being away, exploring, and making new friends. Disliked being forced into going to day camp (I mean, REALLY did not enjoy it at all), being made to learn to swim (fyi being tossed into a pool does not make one learn!), and being left alone at night while mom/dad went to the casino to hang with the other adults - the casino was not within ear shot of the house. Parents were SO much more laid back about parenting in the 60's and 70's LOL).   My maternal grandmother was always with us, and being able to spend so much time with her was wonderful.

We headed back to Brooklyn at the end of August to start school,  Once we moved to NJ and had more room to roam and outdoor space, going was no longer a necessity.  

It did leave a lasting impression and love of nature.  Also, that kickball is not a game small children should be playing 
 
 

sivyaleah

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(snip)

For a while, my parents made us go to vacation bible school for two weeks in the summer, but I had to go back home for that time and I pitched a heckuva fit one year. That ended that. My parents camped a lot and there were times I was expected to go along with them for a weekend or something like that. 
There was one summer when for some reason we didn't go upstate and my mom thought it would be a good idea to send me off to a day camp locally in Brooklyn.  It was a Jewish one; my best friend's family was fairly observant and they were signed up so I guess my mom thought I'd enjoy being with my bestie all the time. NOT.  What I remember is dismal filled with rituals I was not accustomed to even though I'm Jewish too.  I remember awful versions of "pizza" for lunch (Kosher cheese melted on white toast with some kind of terrible sauce); having to say prayers before eating and washing our hands with a tin cup attached to a sink.  I remember a girl who picked her nose all the time and would put it in her braids.  I remember being hot, sticky and unhappy - the camp was run in a local elementary school and there was no A/C in buildings back then.  

I must have made my annoyance very clear because I was never sent again.
 

Willowy

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Mostly hung around with my friends, read a lot of books, and walked to the pool, candy store, park, etc. A few years I went to day camp, and enjoyed it, but it only lasted about a month-6 weeks so that still left a lot of time. One year I started a dog-walking "business" with my friend, which mostly consisted of begging neighbors to let us walk their dogs :lol3:.
 
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cassiopea

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-Horsebackriding. Regular lessons and horse camp. Highly enjoyed it! On top of that too, we traveled around quite a bit to other stables, since my dad was a competitive dressage rider at the time.

-Swimming, and swimming lessons. I didn't always enjoy the swimming lessons, not because I didn't enjoy swimming as a whole, but because they were at the lake, and since we were the older kids we had the earliest shift at 8 am. The water would be really cold and choppy 
 I actually didn't find it fair, and was kinda bitter in my head, since I had other occasions where the "cute little tots and kitties" always had priority over everything and the older kids were more of a "Meh". 

But at least I did well, and made my mom happy and proud. She kept all the badges! Granted, let's just say that I still hate doing a proper front stroke (Ah, memories of cold lake road mildly choking me....)

-Walking or hiking.

-I went to science camp a couple of times. It was a pleasant experience. Not something I would have chosen, but can't complain. It was interesting, and the people were friendly.

-Had to go through some surgeries and recoup over the summer 
 more difficult memories.

-Playing with some close friends in the backyard, creating worlds and events, acting out certain historical figures or characters.

-Played soccer, and soccer camp.

-Reading a buttload of books. Oh gooooodness I loved the library.

-Lutheran bible camp at some summers. I really enjoyed it! Really fun and happy place. Dancing, short plays, colouring, singing, and really felt the positivity and love that was portrayed and taught to us.

-Museums! Lot's and lot's of museum trips. Natural History, Civilization History....aaawwww yeeeaaaah. Good times.

-Hanging out with my grandparents.




Altogether I was thankful that I had a lot of really pleasant summers. The school year was always very difficult on account of a lot of bullying issues, so summer offered a lot of respite and interest.


 
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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Some family members were big farmers. Their daughter was just a bit older than me. I spent every summer with them.
 

sivyaleah

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Oh yea forgot that once we moved to NJ, my family joined a swim club each summer.  We were there a lot.  It was a good way for the moms to get together, chit cat and get us out of their hair for a (long) while.

Pretty much had a love/hate relationship with that too.  But the concession stand made excellent french fries so there was that 
 

Columbine

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I was exactly the same as you Norachan Norachan - the only difference being that I had to get dad to drive me down and pick me up. I wasn't lucky enough to be able to walk to the yard :sigh:

Of course, once I go my own horse things got even better, as I could ride as much I wanted, do what I wanted and generally mess about without being told to muck out 20 stables :winkblue:
 

micknsnicks2mom

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riding my bike, taking walks through the woods, swimming in the swimmin' hole (creek), reading. i loved summer vacation, 
for no school! i loved learning, but absolutely hated school with all the other kids.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Well, up until about aged 7, I played and did normal kid stuff.  Then mom started managing motels on Panama City Beach.  As soon as I could stand on a milk crate and reach the cash register, I started working at the front desk.  When I was around 14, she had me working in the laundry room 8-10 hours a day.  Of course, I got lots of days off when friends wanted me to spend that night, but I developed the habit of hard work early.  In 1970, at the age of 17, I was earning a salary of $100 a week, which was just $18 a week shy of the national median income (not, may I add, working for my mom then).
 

stewball

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Until we moved out of Brooklyn to New Jersey, every summer was spent at a bungalow colony in Catskills area of New York state.  My father would join us Friday night through Sunday and then have to head back to Brooklyn to work weekdays.  I have mixed good/bad memories of those summers.  Loved being away, exploring, and making new friends. Disliked being forced into going to day camp (I mean, REALLY did not enjoy it at all), being made to learn to swim (fyi being tossed into a pool does not make one learn!), and being left alone at night while mom/dad went to the casino to hang with the other adults - the casino was not within ear shot of the house. Parents were SO much more laid back about parenting in the 60's and 70's LOL).   My maternal grandmother was always with us, and being able to spend so much time with her was wonderful.

We headed back to Brooklyn at the end of August to start school,  Once we moved to NJ and had more room to roam and outdoor space, going was no longer a necessity.  

It did leave a lasting impression and love of nature.  Also, that kickball is not a game small children should be playing :lol3:  
Like Dirty Dancing?
 

stewball

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When we were small we went to the seaside for 2 weeks. I don't remember what else we did. As we grew older I'd play in the streets with the neighbours kids. They sent us away to Jewish camp once. Never again. We'd go abroad for 2 weeks and then played. That's all I can remember. I must ask my sister.
 

artiemom

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I really did not do much during the summer. 

It was an extension of the winter with most of my time outdoors. 

I never went to camp. My parents could not afford it. I hung out, with friends, played all the old childhood games, read, talked, listened to the radio, tons of walks. I played a lot of hop scotch and jump rope. 

I remember the summer nights. Oh, were they hot! No one had air conditioning. All the neighbors would be out. Somehow they congregated at my front porch or back porch. The kids all had their baths and pj's on. We would hang out talking, in the dark, waiting for Nicky, the ice cream guy to come by. Does anyone remember the "Baby Doll" pajamas? We all had them!   Our parents would tell stories of their childhood and sometimes just a story they made up. 

That was when the citronella candles were the only protection from mosquitos. Man, did we have a ton of them. 

One time, my dad had a brilliant idea. He got an extra long extension cord, and took our small black and white TV outside so we could watch tv.

On the really hot nights, I would sleep downstairs, on a sheet covered mat. At that time, it was safe enough to have both the front and back doors open to the screen door and all the windows open. The breeze was great. 

Rainy days were movie days. 

When I became 15, I had to work part-time. 

I remember  that on Sundays, we (mom, dad, and me; along with cousin and aunt and uncle) would take day trips up to New Hampshire with the grill. We went to all the kids places that were around at that time; most of them had a picnic area. If they did not, we found one. 
 
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MoochNNoodles

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When I was young I spent them at my Grandparent's house during the day. They were retired and we lived down the street.  They took care of me before and after school too; since Mom commuted.  We ended up moving to the town she worked in and then I spent my summers (and before/after school time) at a co-worker of my mother's house. She ran a daycare for little kids; but her daughter became my best friend. So it was all great fun.  We moved out of state when I was 12 but I would spend about 6 weeks of each summer break between my 2 Grandparent's houses.  My dad lived way out in the country and i wanted to be close to my cousins and everyone instead of stuck there while he was at work.  Plus my ex-stepmother wasn't the nicest.  I also had a bedroom at each grandparents instead of a sleeping bag on the floor.  Those summers were great and they went on until I graduated from high school.  I miss those days!!
 

Mamanyt1953

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Nah, not that I was aware of. More like an extension of our daily life in Brooklyn. Except with bugs.
Now, that is a crying shame.  All my fantasies burst at once.  I never saw one person in that movie slap at a bug.
 
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