Running Through The Sprinklers

On a hot summer day, my mom would announce, "Who wants to run through the sprinklers?" "We do! We do!" we'd scream with delight. After all, we were swimming pool-deprived kids. What was the alternative? So, we'd put on our swimsuits and run back and forth through the sprinklers, darting around those deadly round toe traps, whooping it up like this was the best activity ever. Sure, there was the occasional stubbed tootsie, and there was only so much prancing through the soggy grass before the whole enterprise lost its allure. Still, we managed to milk the fun factor for a good 10 minutes. The truth is, we really wanted one of these:

Oh, how we begged for a Slip 'n Slide. "Everybody else has one," we argued. This tactic never worked once with either of my parents. "Let everybody else break their necks," my daddy countered. According to my folks, the Slip 'n Slide was an invitation to severe bodily harm, if not total paralysis. I grew up thinking that the Torah clearly stated: "No Jews shalt ever purchase or partake in the Whamo-Slip 'n Slide." Just between us, I must have taken a near-lethal ride down a Slip 'n Slide once or twice, but I've blocked the memory of sheer unbridled nirvana. So, you're probably wondering, did I ever reverse policy and buy my sons a death-defying Slip 'n Slide, still sold today on the open market? 

What do you think? 

Happy First Day of Summer!