We Don't Need No...Education...

That line from Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" came out I think when I was in 9th grade. Sang it ALL THE TIME, especially the closer we got to school being out. The IRONY cracks me up.

A double negative?

Still, the song takes me back.

Back to the days when summertime seemed to last a LONG time. Back when no one was afraid to get a TAN. Back when an 8 hour day meant 5 hours at the pool and 3 hours cruisin' up and down Air Depot.

Of course, the older you get, the shorter each summer seems. I mean, 3 months is a relatively short span when you're an adult. It seems like forever when you're a teenager.

My kids just got out of school a couple days ago. They've already begun the stay-up-late-and-wake-up-late routine. Man, I'm really jealous.

However, I remember the summer after I graduated high school. Every day I got up late, hung out at my friend's pool, and then we wasted gas driving all around Midwest City most of the night. I kept waiting for my dad to tell me to GET A JOB, since I had worked the summer before. I even felt a little guilty, asking for gas money and stuff. But he never did.

A few months later, after I did finally get a job, I asked him why he never PUSHED me into it. "Son, once you start working, you probably won't quit for a LONG TIME," he said. "I just figured I'd let you enjoy THIS LAST SUMMER."

Wow, he was right. Thanks, Dad.

I really hope that I can remember to do the same for my kid.