Did you ever have summer friends ~ the kids of your parents’ friends? I did and I loved them. I remember each and every one of them. I loved all of them. There were the friends from Long Island whose parents served in the Army with my parents. They were the kids who went camping with us in the mountains of Colorado. My parents seemed to have friends everywhere…so did we.

My kids are experiencing a taste of summer friends this week. We are at the beach with friends of mine but not necessarily friends of my kids. I tell you, my kids are having a blast with their new found friends.

Summer friends are the best because there is no pressure. High school can be a time for immense pressure. Are you in the right clique? Do you have the right clothes? Are you cool enough? With summer friends there is no pressure. You don’t have to worry about cliques or clothes or cool factor. Summer friends are relaxed and easy going.

I don’t keep in touch with any of my summer friends, personally, but my parents keep in touch with their parents. So I guess, by default, I keep in touch with all of them. I know how when they got married (or if they got married). I know how many kids they have. I know what they all do for a living. I know more about them than I know about some of my current friends and their kids. I may not keep in touch with my summer friends, but my memory of my days with them are some of the best I have. I loved each and every summer I spent with my summer friends.

I don’t know if my kids’ friendships will last but I do hope they will carry the same kind of wonderful memories of summers with my friends’ kids.

Oh, for the love of my children…