Rockaway the Days

For my kids, summer's almost here and the time is right for....going to camp.

Throughout the summer, all summer long.

This is the way of the world these days. With both parents working, summer days need to be occupied, and camps seem to be the most efficient, if expensive, way to do it.

I've always felt lucky, because growing up back in my little neighborhood in Shavertown, PA, every house had kids with moms who were home during the day. At any given time, there were at least 5-6 kids outside looking for something to do. From the time we got up in the morning, except for brief trips home for lunch and supper, we would stay out until dark: Riding bikes, throwing rocks in the creek, playing baseball for hours, getting dirty, catching lightning bugs at dusk.

No one went to camp, save for that week in early June when everyone spent a week or two at Vacation Bible Camp, which was free and holy at the same time. We didn't go to regular camp because no one needed a time filler, and no one's parents had money for camp anyway.

But those summers weren't always perfect. There was the time I threw a rock and hit Ernie Ashbridge under the eye, after arguing over a penny (real money in those days). From about 100 feet! Great shot, bad decision. I had to stay in my yard for two weeks after that unfortunate incident.

And then there was the time I threw a rock (I think I see a pattern here; I was a regular Ernest T. Bass) and hit Ronnie Fetterman's old car. Ronnie was one of the neighborhood roughnecks who liked to drive around in his beat up old Chevy looking cool. Well, even though he did look cool, he used to tease the younger kids. And, while everyone else wanted to throw a rock at him, I was the one with the stones who did it. He caught me and pushed me around a little (he probably should have done something worse), and then I cried and went in the house and sulked in front of "Lost in Space." Dr. Smith could fix what ailed me.

I don't know if I had better summers than my kids will have; they each have lots of great adventures scheduled in the next few months and I'm sure over the next few years as well.

But I sure had more freedom.

And more freedom to get in trouble too, which is one of the points of sending your kids to camp.

I guess.