Jan

 My favorite memories of motherhood are of what I would call "the greening season" of little boys. As the mother of four boys, and step mom to a fifth, I wanted them to experience the carefree pleasures of childhood to the fullest extent.

It became a tradition to allow the boys to skip school on April 1st, opening day of trout season. We'd head for the creek, poles and worms in hand, and spend the morning casting into the muddy waters. Not many fish were caught, but wading around we'd find crayfish and other critters, and then sit on rocks mid-stream to enjoy our picnic lunch. Once, a huge tree came crashing down out of nowhere, sending us leaping into the water, and then landed on the very rock where we had been sitting!

There were endless hours spent in the sandbox, constructing roads with tractors and trucks. On one occasion I looked out the window and saw three little boys lined up side-by-side on the edge of the sandbox, clad in pack boots and PJ's (no time to get dressed!) peeing off towards the woods. There was the apple tree to be climbed, the creek to be damned, the woods to be explored and the pond to be stocked with fish. At night there were fireflies to be caught and hide and seek games to be played.

For many summers we enjoyed fabulous vacations in Rockport, their dad's favorite place. The boys kept busy from dawn to dark climbing rocks, exploring tide pools, finding lost buoys and lobster pots, swimming in the waves and eating ice cream cones every night. Fourth of July brought fire works and sparklers, blueberry pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, and of course, John Philip Sousa blasting from the kitchen.

Due to our prime location on Route 20 the boys had many opportunities to practice their entrepreneurial skills; this included selling everything from lemonade and cookies, pumpkins, green beans and plums, fishing lures, baseball cards or just about anything else they could think of. Tables were set up, signs created and a good time was had by all.

These were happy and carefree days for the boys and I was always sad to see them return to school in the fall. With their feet planted firmly on the ground, the sun and the summer breeze to warm them, and the creek, the lake and the ocean to water them, this was truly the "greening season" of my little boys. And grow they did!