KIDS WILL BE KIDS

I work in a campground in northern Maryland during the spring, summer, and fall months. During the summer, kids are everywhere, and we joke about being overrun by these youngsters. One Saturday evening I was ready for bed and was acutely aware that the campground noise level was terribly loud. The three cabins next to me were filled with a family group that included about a thousand kids. Around 10:30pm I had thoughts of going outside and shouting QUIET! at the top of my lungs, then realized I just needed to live with the noise on Saturday night. As I turned off the lights, I recalled something I read recently: “when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

I listened again to the aggravating noise, and thought about those kids outdoors playing their games, getting along with one another, immersed in their imaginations, being physical, running and laughing -- instead of being zombies in front of a television or video game or doing drugs. I thought about how fortunate those kids were for some time out in the country, their families around the campfire. I remember them in the pool earlier, more laughter; on the hayride, more laughter. The noise they were now making seemed suddenly refreshing to hear.

Heck, I remembered playing outdoors in the evenings with my own childhood friends, running around and funning around. No longer irate at the noise, I was just glad that kids still have that in them. My reward? An hour later the noise stopped.