Remember the phrase, “Winter is coming?” Covid infection rates are dropping rapidly, let’s plan to celebrate because… ‘SUMMER IS COMING!’
The New York Times reports a drop of 65% in covid infections as of today. Pause on that for a moment and consider the following perspective:
If 2020 equated to the year of infection…
And 2021 represented the year of the cure…
Let’s designate 2022 as the year of the summer party.
As parents, we’ve faced a challenge that no generation has experienced since the time when parents of the ‘Lost Generation’ faced the Spanish Flu back in 1919.
Who, you may ask, represented the ‘lost generation?’ Well for starters, they are dead… long dead! All of them, not from disease, but from this limited timeframe we call life. They were born between 1883 and 1901 and bore the brunt of parenting during the Spanish Flu. They represent the young schoolboys featured in that scene from Good Will Hunting—those of course featured in the ancient photographs.
As Robin Williams noted, today that generation is fertilizing daffodils. The point being—as parents, the most responsible thing we can do for our kids is to plan a summer that it totally and utterly epic.
And I have not even touched on the adult summer parties we should be planning! That’s a book unto itself.
There were generations of parents who had to endure the pain of watching their children go off to fight in global wars, others that managed through stark economic depressions, but not since the era of Model-T cars and record players you had to crank by hand have parents faced such dire circumstances of a global pandemic.
Because in the beginning, no one knew who would live or die. Covid upturned everything we considered normal like a gorilla in a crystal factory. It slammed the brakes on every single aspect of our lives. Kindergarten Zoom calls? Seeing elderly relatives through panes of glass, figuratively online or separated by closed windows? A toilet paper shortage? Are you f*cking kidding me?
No. We went through this. We endured it, and God be damned if we don’t celebrate this summer and party like it’s 1999.
You don’t need to crisscross around the globe, white-water raft down the Colorado River, or swim with Orcas in Norway to celebrate. You can keep it local with a few six-packs in the backyard, a garden hose to entertain the kids, and some burgers on the grill in order to qualify your event as a summer party.
Because in 2022, just getting together counts. Friends, relatives from out of town, long-lost cousins who seem less obnoxious now (for having not seen them for two years), and neighbors. Designate the first Saturday in every summer month as ‘block-party day’ and cone off the street. Call in the calvary, make it a big party, crank the tunes, and perhaps schedule themed parties. Not costume parties mind you, that’s poor party etiquette in the heat of the summer.
I plan to host another ‘Caveman Night.’ This featured 10 burning fire pits and 20 tiki torches that surrounded our pool. I hosted this event for roughly 50 dads from our school to raise funds for our PTA association. 2022 will feature 15 fire pits… and I’m inviting 100 people over!
We have something to look forward to—namely, the summer. We haven’t had much to celebrate since January 1st in 2020 when we had a brand new decade in front of us.
And if we’re really lucky, as it was for the ‘lost generation’ who enjoyed the roaring 1920s, perhaps Covid will fade away completely and we’ll have the chance to extend this celebration well into the 2020s.
To quote Prince, “If you didn’t come to party, don’t bother knocking on my door.”
The Rookie Father 
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