Summer. The three to four months out of the year that we as little kids, high school students and college students look forward to so much throughout the year. The warm weather, typically not having anymore school, and the chance to do whatever you want. At least that's what it was like when we were younger, but now summer is something completely different.

Summer Then...

When we were little kids, or at least before the age of 14-16, summer was the BEST. We got to do so many fun things like got to camp, whether it was overnight or during the day, we could just hang out with our friends all day long, go to the pool, the beach, trips to the to a water park or an amusement park, all of this was like pure happiness during summers of the past and now as a 19-year-old college student on her second summer break from school, I realized how much I took past summers for granted.

I remember when I was younger summer how much I loved summer (don't get me wrong I still love it, but it's a different kind of love). Summer meant being with my best friend every day while her mom or nana watched us. It meant day camps where we got to go on field trips to all the local attractions in Boston and in New England. It meant going laying out in the sun and just having the time of our lives playing and doing anything we wanted within reason.

Summer Now...

After we got to the age where we could start working, summer meant making as much money as possible to sustain us through the year, or at least try to. Friends are busy working, interning or they live far away and you realize the time you once loved so much is no longer there. Sure we now get to do more things by ourselves and we still have family BBQs and holidays like Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day, to hang out and chill with our family and friends. Now we can go to better stuff like concerts or going up to friends or your own beach/lake/camp house. But the stuff that brought you so much joy as a kid is no longer there, or at least not as noticeable now. Instead of just going over to your friend's house and assuming they'll be home and down to hang out, most of us have to map our days or even weeks around plans so we can fit everything into our schedules.

Granted this is what growing up is, but it makes me miss the things I took for granted like being able to relax and play with my friends whenever I wanted to, rather than making plans weeks ahead of time for a day or a couple days where I am not working to chill and relax.