Summer Was Over After 4th of July When You Were A Kid

Nothing better than summer when you're a kid. 

Great weather, no school, dad bitching at you because you struck out three times in your travel baseball game. Ahhh. The great times. 

But I've been conditioned as an adult to have that same pit-of-the-stomach feeling I used to get from 6 - 17 years old each glorious summer after the high of 4th of July celebrations, and that is that summer is basically over. 

I get it. It's way better as an adult. You don't have that ominous class list for homeroom waiting for you and you realize that essentially everyday is school for you, but hey, at least I can go get drunk on a Tuesday night or play some cards with buddies without having to worry about mom coming after you to brush your teeth, or pops making sure you studied for your vocab quiz. 

Now, it's just your wife asking if you took the trash out.

The back-to-school commercials, while be it less, still make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up just a bit. Luckily I don't know exactly where the entire school supplies section is at my local Target because I grew up in a Walmart household, but I make it a point to almost walk in the store with my eyes closed to avoid any chance of seeing the giant "BACK TO SCHOOL STARTS HERE" signs and fake pictures of kids enjoying their school supplies all because there was no worse feeling than heading into that during your youth. 

All of that starts happening once 4th of July is over. Out with the American flags, in with the book bags. Your mom would ACTUALLY start cracking down on summer reading. You have to start really making every week night count because you know they're limited. 

I'd say the best way to describe it is if your college football team starts the season ranked in the top-10. They slip up once in October on the road against a ranked opponent so they're not totally out of it, but they better run the table to still have a shot. Then they lose again on a last second field goal the first weekend of November to tally their second loss of the season and it's over. 

Yeah, you'll enjoy each of the last three Saturdays and whatever Hyundai Bowl you get to go to, but after that second loss you know deep down it doesn't matter. It's over. 

Essentially summer is Michigan and Wisconsin football every year. Starts hot with a lot of excitement until you hit that 4th of July wall and it's all just routine after that. "Can't wait until next summer/year".