Summer Vacations of Yesterday – When Boredom Was Okay

Summer vacations are now in full swing for school-aged children across the United States.

As I write this post from the shade of my covered patio on a surprisingly pleasant sunny afternoon, I can hear the cheerful, innocent laughter of the young neighborhood children splashing and playing at the community pool, and it brings me back to a time long ago.

In this peaceful setting, I find myself nostalgic for the summer vacations of my youth—a time when I was too young for major responsibilities but old enough to enjoy the freedom that comes along with growing up.

It has been a long time since I felt the exhilarating joy of walking out of my grammar school’s side doors for the last time before the start of a new school year.

That rush of excitement that comes along with the realization that homework and school projects are now on hiatus for the next few months, and in their place is a world of endless possibilities, filled with unexpected adventures and discoveries from one day to the next.

I grew up in a small suburban town in northern New Jersey during the 1980s, a decade when childhood was drastically different from what it is today.

There were no computers, cell phones, or social media to occupy or distract us from imagination and creativity. Cable television was just starting to enter average American homes, though my blue-collar family didn’t adopt this technology right away.

My summer vacations always started the same way.

After waking up leisurely without any sense of urgency, I would head downstairs to the kitchen for a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal (don’t judge, it was the ’80s, and healthier options weren’t readily available), which I would typically eat while watching morning cartoons like Bugs Bunny or The Smurfs.

I can still recall those days when there were no schedules, no formal plans, and no rigid expectations that could add anxiety to what was meant to be an actual “vacation” from everyday life. I remember my mother asking what I was going to do that day, and I would always respond with, “It depends on who’s outside.”

The quiet suburban street where I grew up was lined with modest Cape Cod-style homes. These houses were occupied by their original owners from the 1950s, when they were built, as well as by new, younger families with children of varying ages.

What I remember most about those days is that gender, age, race, social class, or the school we attended did not matter. It was all about connecting and conversing with others who were not yet adults, exploring, creating, laughing, and enjoying the splendor of the outdoors without our parents’ watchful eyes upon us every five minutes.

Summer Vacations Were Memorable

Nowadays, specialized summer camps are a money-making venture for many entrepreneurs. When I was growing up, each town had its unique summer camp, typically held at the local park, where groups of mixed-age children would run around and play games until their parents came to pick them up later in the afternoon.

I had the option to attend our town’s summer camp, but I was fortunate enough to be able to decline the opportunity year after year. While it sometimes seemed like a nice way to connect with kids my age from other grammar schools in town, I preferred the freedom of a less structured summer vacation.

Many days, I rode my bike for hours, either alone or with a neighboring boy who was a few years younger than I was. With all the riding I did, I was always surprised that I didn’t need a new set of tires by the end of summer.

On other days, I would walk to the park at the end of my street to play catch or frisbee with an older boy who lived a few houses up the block. Although I wasn’t very skilled at sports, it was a pleasant change of pace, and thankfully, the older boy was quite patient with me.

I’m not ashamed to admit that there were even times when I found myself playing house with the two girls my age who lived around the corner, each of them arguing about who I would marry. Incidentally, that was the only time in my life that I had two girls fighting over me!

Sometimes, I would spend the day with my cousins, swimming in their backyard pool until our skin became wrinkled and red from the sun (this was the ’80s, and back then, who knew the importance of applying sunscreen every two hours?).

My most memorable days were spent with my grandparents, whose attentiveness and engagement I greatly appreciated as a shy and sometimes lonely little boy.

Beyond the joy of being the center of their attention, we would work in their garden, visit their close friends or older relatives I rarely saw, before returning home to talk and laugh over games, ice cream, and other favorite treats they always made sure to buy for our special days together.

I’m genuinely grateful for the unforgettable summer vacations I had during my grammar school years. Compared to children today, I feel incredibly fortunate.

In our small suburban town, it was common for one parent to stay home to care for their children when they were young. During the 1980s, this arrangement was typically the mother, and it was prevalent in many towns and cities across the United States.

Having one parent at home, especially during summer vacations, certainly alters a child’s experience, and it had an impact in the 1980s.

Today, kids are often enrolled in various specialized summer camps, which fill their schedules to prevent boredom in an overstimulated society and address the caregiving needs that arise when both parents are working.

In the 1980s, my parents, my wife’s parents, and countless others lived within their means and made sacrifices to ensure that one parent was available during their children’s formative years. This created summer vacations that were more about freedom from routine and anxiety, and more about exploration and discovery.

In today’s society, both parents often feel the need to work, not only because of the rising costs of essentials like food and cars, but also due to their increasing desire for instant gratification. This rush for immediate satisfaction is preventing their children from enjoying the simple pleasures of a summer vacation, as families continue to accumulate more and more possessions in an effort to impress others.

A Time to Recharge

Growing up, I didn’t need technology, sports, or camp experiences to fill the boredom that many parents today seek to shield their children from. I had imagination, creativity, and ingenuity, which allowed me to occupy myself in various ways.

It helped me understand that sometimes experiencing boredom is essential for developing problem-solving skills, but most importantly, it fosters independence and self-sufficiency.

Summer vacations for kids should be a time to relax and recharge. It’s an opportunity to pause the constant cycle of learning, extracurricular activities, and responsibilities that school-aged children face, allowing them to refocus on life’s simplicities.

However, that’s not what happens today. Instead, the anxieties children experience are amplified as their schedules become filled with a series of random events and activities, keeping them in one place for only brief periods.

This creates a mindset where today’s children feel they can never be still and enjoy riding their bikes on a beautiful summer day, going for a walk or hike in the stillness of nature, or just spending time with someone special, doing nothing but talking, laughing, and, in my case, eating!

While each new generation tends to believe that their life circumstances are better than those of previous generations—which in many cases may be true—today’s children are missing out on the magical experience of summer vacations that earlier generations enjoyed.

I’m not a doctor or scientist, but I once experienced the simplicity of summer vacations and all the benefits they offered in terms of personal growth, increased connections, and mental well-being.

Even though my last summer vacation as a school-aged child was about 40 years ago, I’m still reminded of the importance of spending time in nature without the need for constant entertainment, to use one’s mind to create and imagine a world often found in our backyard, and to enjoy the silence and simplicity of a surprisingly pleasant sunny afternoon.

If we fail to grasp those vital lessons during our transition from childhood to adulthood, we risk struggling to manage the inevitable strains and pressures that come with adult life. It is essential to learn these lessons early, as they lay the foundation for resilience and adaptability in the face of life’s future challenges.