The Fourth of July is over, county and state fair season is in full swing, and the dog days of summer are upon us. Have you ever wondered what that means? Why are they “dog days”? And when did the saying originate?

The etymology dictionary website, etymonline.com, defines it as a “period of dry, hot weather at the height of summer,” traced back to the 1530s and from the Latin dies caniculares. They occur during the time of the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star.

I fondly remember those August days before a new school year began. Afternoons at the town swimming pool and sucking on a popsicle (root beer the preferred flavor) on the walk home. Cicadas loudly buzzing, the grass brown and crunchy under my feet. Riding my bicycle downhill was the best way to catch a breeze. After dinner it was back outside for a game of kick-the-can with friends until the sun inevitably slipped below the horizon, streetlights blinked on, and our mothers appeared at the front door calling us home. Then off to bed exhausted and looking forward to doing it all over again the next day.

No cell phones, social media, video games, endless streaming services keeping us alone in our bedrooms all day. Only one television and Dad had first call on what was watched. Remote control? We were his remote control.

We were leading the best life. Kids today have no idea what they missed. Perhaps parents can show them by putting their own phones down, unplugging all the electronics, and going outside to play with their children the way they once played with their friends. Teach them kick-the-can. All you need is an empty soup can. You don’t even have to wait for Amazon to deliver one.