For Pete's sake, go outside and play!

Who the heck was this Pete my mother always yelled about when her kids drove her crazy? "For Pete's sake, get outta here and go outside! You kids are driving me nuts! And don't come back in until it turns dark." Even if the thermometer registers 109 in the shade or thirty below zero. In the summer, children ended their days filthy, hair plastered to their damp heads, knees scraped, covered in sweat and scratches, and happy as larks. In the winter, we tumbled through the front doors of our homes with fingers frozen, toes frostbitten, snot-sicles hanging from our noses, and the circulation cut off in our feet from our tightly tied skates or boots. We were ebullient and couldn't wait for the hot chocolate! Mom was always ready for us and never seemed to mind the snow we drug in with our coats and boots. After all, she had had an afternoon of peace and quiet - a little time to smoke a cigarette and talk on the phone to one of her friends. We were never scolded for staying on the pond to skate until we had nearly frozen ourselves into hyperthermia and it was the only time I felt we were actually rewarded for being stupid, especially when she met us at the door with a smile and homemade doughnuts to go with our hot chocolate.