Every major city has its own version of the Yellow Pages. Every Thursday, my children make phone calls to their friends, pile bicycles, in-line skates, and baseballs in the van. They gather up rubber boots for walking in the creek, buckets for future water bug homes and shovels and pails for the sand box. No one can concentrate on their studies and lunch is a blur. Soon enough, it's time to leave.
Spring certainly is the best time for park day.
The bare trees are finally dressed in their green gowns again, the bumble bees are slowly waking up, and so many of my friends turn out for a warm, restful afternoon together. It was during one of these days that I saw it. The children were catching bugs, shooting hoops, and soaring on swings. A pack of boys ran past me shouting words like capture and territory and that's when it hit me how different each one is. I knew most of the boys personally and although they seemed like just a group of boys, I knew better.