Savvy Parenting : You Know It's Summer When... The Savvy Source for Parents

We can't be sure, of course. And we recognize that what they retain is often a product of forces other than what their parents wish to underscore as important. So, what are they catching onto? What do they see around your house, your town, your life that screams the season?

Give it some thought; it's a fun exercise. Here are some starting points, and now you get to tell us what we've missed:

All of a sudden, sunscreen bottles are stashed in every bag, on every shelf, in reach, all over.

Your distaste for gun play suddenly has a squirt bottle exception, and you're the biggest culprit of them all!

You find yourself endeavoring to explain to your frustrated and perplexed preschooler how it possibly can be bedtime when it's still so bright out.

You simply cannot stop thinking about a vacation. Even if none is planned. And if one is, you are in full countdown.

Ice cream no longer qualifies as dessert -- it's a food group in this weather.

It's so warm that your little one hasn't even worn proper pajamas in a week. And that's with the fan on in his room. (Unless of course, you and your little one are San Franciscans, in which case he likely hasn't gone without a wool hat in almost a week. And that's with the heater on in the house.)

You've adopted the role of a preschool teacher. You actually considered face painting the other day, and watercolors (previously relegated to preschool only or maybe -- just maybe -- a small, oilcloth-covered corner of the kitchen floor) are now out on the front steps. You are joyfully spending your days singing songs and working on letters and numbers and referreeing squabbles between siblings and friends. And counting the days until September...

When's that vacation again?

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