Spring is Here: Time for Ice Cream and Recreation

No more slush or black ice, no more salt on the side of the car, no more frozen toes and fingers or chattering teeth. Though we might see a few light, fluffy and quickly melting flakes fall in the next week or two, we can pretty much say “good riddance” to the snow for the next seven or eight months. And I, for one, am very happy about that prospect.

Though we find ways to enjoy the winter, sledding or making snow forts or just tossing snowballs at each other every day after school, my son Johnny, 7, and I look forward to the end of the frozen season and to the fresh start that is spring.

The budding leaves start to fill the tree limbs, flowers begin to bloom, and neighborhood children are running around and playing outside — the usual stuff. But spring also marks the start of the season for some of our favorite pastimes.

Winter is obviously not the greatest time for bike riding, especially for a 7-year-old who is still finding his bearings on a two-wheeler and isn’t ready to deal with ice. But now that the snow is it’s melted and down the drain, we can start riding our bikes around town again and — what he’s been waiting since Christmas to do — he can ride his new scooter. 

Johnny and I love ice cream, and if you haven’t noticed already, the Dairy-O on Main Street has an "open" sign in the window. After a soccer game, sometimes we like to stop by and get a root beer float. And wouldn’t you know, the season is about to get started — and A&W recently put up its “Now Open” sign for the spring and summer seasons.

I regularly refer to ; it is a great sport that is easy to learn but impossible to master, relatively safe compared to many other sports, cheap, great exercise, encourages teamwork and creative thinking, supports competition and (great for us parents) tires out children before bed.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not a supporter of other sports.

I have always been an athletic person and have dabbled in many sports, playing most of them for Clawson city and school teams, and I want to encourage everyone to let their children explore the world of athletics. And spring is a great time to do so.

Roller or ice hockey, track and field, football, gymnastics, lacrosse, baseball, swimming, martial arts, dance, bowling, golf, basketball, etc. — there are so many activities, and we have no idea which ones are going to click with our children. My son loves soccer, maybe not as much as me, but he’s also expressed interest in gymnastics and has shown promise. I was never interested in the sport before, but what I am interested in is raising a happy, well-adjusted child. So now I’m interested in gymnastics.

And remember, Clawson may be small, but it is a family-oriented town that through various programs and organizations such as Clawson Youth Soccer, and gymnastics programs at , the city league Mavericks football team and a . There are even community tennis and volleyball courts and a roller hockey area at City Park.

Take advantage of what our city has to offer, for you and for your children. Who knows: You may have been a football star, but your son or daughter might be the next Michael Phelps or Steve Yzerman.