Hey Kids, Summer Is Finally Here!

Posted on June 18, 2025 by mitchteemley

Remember when the words “play” and “outside” always came bundled together in the same irresistible sentence?

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About mitchteemley

Writer, Filmmaker, Humorist, Thinker-about-stuffer
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47 Responses to Hey Kids, Summer Is Finally Here!

  1. Sue Cass says:
    June 18, 2025 at 4:38 pm

    This is so true! I used to sub. at a middle school and found the kids could not even relate to “playing outside.” And that was several years ago. Very sad.

    Reply
  2. L.G. says:
    June 18, 2025 at 4:44 pm

    Lol, so true

    Reply
  3. Just Bob F says:
    June 18, 2025 at 4:54 pm

    I have a memory of bedtime as a child. Sometimes in the summer, I’d be in bed, and with the windows open, I could hear other children still playing outside. It was pure torture.

    Reply
  4. Nancy Homlitas says:
    June 18, 2025 at 5:04 pm

    There aren’t enough kids in the neighborhoods to entice them to play outside. Back in the day, neighborhoods were swarming with kids. No one wanted to go in the house-not even when the street lights came on. Television with two channels (Lawrence Welk and Bishop Sheen) was not an enticement to stay in the house either. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Sarah Angleton says:
    June 18, 2025 at 5:16 pm

    My kids always liked to play outside, but they would get frustrated because even though we had lots of kids on our street, it was rare for any of them to come outside to play. Even if they weren’t sucked into video games, so many kids have such busy schedules with sports and camps and such. It does seem like it might be getting a little bit better in our neighborhood. Lately I have been seeing and hearing more kiddos. It’s a nice change.

    Reply
  6. Ab says:
    June 18, 2025 at 5:16 pm

    At the risk of sounding like a boomer, those were the good old days!

    Reply
  7. thebpdcrisis says:
    June 18, 2025 at 5:33 pm

    It seems like kids these days (I sound old) are too easily distracted by their phones and tablets. They go outside and get bored, and run back in. And they go back outside, and go back in. When I was kid, I spent the whole day outside. I never wanted to go inside.

    Reply
  8. Drew Cremeans says:
    June 18, 2025 at 6:07 pm

    I struggle with getting myself out to play. I need more play. More fishing.

    Reply
  9. trE says:
    June 18, 2025 at 6:33 pm

    Children these days have NO IDEA what that is. 😂🤣😆

    Reply
  10. Bronlima says:
    June 18, 2025 at 6:54 pm

    As a kid i used to go to the local adventure playground. There were no “fixed games”, we made our own structures out of wood and old tires, banged in nails, fixed things together with rope…… and yes, s9metimes we fell, sometimes we cut ourselves, nothing serious……… then we would lose ourselves in the fields picking blackberries, and making camps in the wood…… mmmm….too dangerous for kids today?

    Reply
  11. Liz Gauffreau says:
    June 18, 2025 at 6:55 pm

    Yes, I remember it well!

    Reply
  12. Under the mask.. says:
    June 18, 2025 at 7:15 pm

    Adult son and I marveled the other day to see youngsters on bicycles — it’s been about 2 decades, now, of seeing no such thing!

    Reply
  13. Kerri Elizabeth says:
    June 18, 2025 at 7:58 pm

    I can’t believe there is even a thought to be told to go outside, because it’s habit still for me… my kids were raised with no TV no video games, no cell phones and electronics .. I asked one of my kids the other day, when I was watching all my grandkids on phones and said”what do u think I would have done if u all had phones in your hands” she said “ take them all and throw them in the lake 😂.

    Reply
  14. Lynn Pernezny says:
    June 18, 2025 at 8:59 pm

    My mom would blow a whistle to let my brother me know it was time to come home. My best friend’s parents had a bell that they rang. Even if I was reading during the summer, it was outside at the picnic table.

    Reply
  15. Mags Win says:
    June 18, 2025 at 9:30 pm

    There are several kids on my street but the only ones in my view that get outside are two boys across the street that kick their soccer ball back and forth to each other. We spent hours outside when I was a kid. We didn’t even care if it was raining or snowing. I would love to see more kids outside.

    Reply
  16. Loku says:
    June 18, 2025 at 9:46 pm

    I don’t play online games.

    But I don’t have friends to play outside games also. I usually take short talks or try concentrating my mind.

    Reply
  17. Shweta✨ says:
    June 18, 2025 at 10:22 pm

    Those old days should come back. I have also written a post on this.

    Reply
  18. randydafoe says:
    June 19, 2025 at 3:52 am

    It’s quite sad to see the play grounds empty so much of the time.

    Reply
  19. Anonymous says:
    June 19, 2025 at 4:09 am

    I had a laugh, but This is funny in away but so so sad in another.

    Reply
  20. Anonymous says:
    June 19, 2025 at 6:12 am

    ❤️

    Reply
  21. GP says:
    June 19, 2025 at 7:14 am

    I do remember! But it seems so long ago!

    Reply
  22. bluebird of bitterness says:
    June 19, 2025 at 4:47 pm

    I spent a lot of time outdoors as a kid, but not necessarily because I loved being outdoors all the time. A lot of the time it was the only way I could enjoy a little peace and quiet and solitude. Our family of seven lived in a tiny little crackerbox of a house, and we were a very high-conflict family (to put it charitably)…. but if I went outside and climbed a tree or rode my bike or took a long walk, I could escape from the noise and chaos and irritation. Sometimes it was the only way to keep my sanity (such as it was).

    Reply
  23. Catsandcoffee says:
    June 19, 2025 at 10:14 pm

    Yes, but that was long before Cell Phones.

    Reply
  24. Ann Coleman says:
    June 20, 2025 at 9:42 am

    It’s so sad that kids have so little opportunity to just go outside and play these days! If they are outside, it’s usually in organized sports. Otherwise, they’re inside, doing something that requires a screen…..

    Reply
  25. Tim Harlow says:
    June 20, 2025 at 7:04 pm

    Ha ha! I remember those words quite fondly from my childhood. Of course, you left out the part about how it was usually the Mom, who added, “Go out and play, or I’ll find you something else to do in here.” And we all know the something else was some horrible chore like painting the living room, helping clean out the closets, etc. Thanks for the memories!

    Reply
  26. Nancy Ruegg says:
    June 21, 2025 at 11:32 am

    It’s a sad commentary on our culture today, that parents don’t feel it’s safe for kids to play outside unless it’s in their own fenced-in backyard. You’re right–back in the day we did spend much time outdoors–all over the neighborhood. My brother and I plus a friend or two would ride our bikes to the community pool and spend all afternoon there, nearly every day that it didn’t rain. Some days we took inside activities outdoors, playing games or working on crafts out on each other’s porches. Evenings were spent catching fireflies and playing games in each other’s yards. We took for granted the security of a community where 99.9% of all citizens were law-abiding.

    Reply
  27. WanderingCanadians says:
    June 22, 2025 at 5:48 am

    Someone in my neighbourhood complained to the city that there were a few basketball nets set up on the curb of the road. It’s a quiet area that doesn’t have heavy traffic or anything. But they were all given notices to remove them by a certain date otherwise they’ll receive a fine. It’s sad that we’ve come to prioritize cars in our society. And no wonder kids don’t play outside as much.

    Reply
  28. Jennie says:
    June 23, 2025 at 3:33 pm

    Yes!!

    Reply

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