At last, our 2 1/2 months of freedom have arrived. Immediately after writing that, I think of all the people for whom this isn’t true. Whether it’s summer classes or summer jobs, the word “summer” just isn’t synonymous with “vacation” anymore. Like many others, I’ll be working two jobs this year to help offset the ever-rising cost of a University of Illinois education.

But now is also the time to enjoy the last, receding vestiges of childhood. Yes, “childhood.” Even for those who work to put themselves through school all year-round, we still exist within a strange limbo stage in which the youthful lack of responsibility tangles with the beginnings of the threads of commitment that weave together to become our adult lives. We’re not quite kids, and we’re not quite grown-up. Summer break represents the peak of the tension between the two.

We should embrace that little bit of extra childhood that higher education affords us with time off, even while we’re working and taking extra classes. Summer can still distinguish itself as a totally separate time of the year, made for reflection, relaxation and fun. I may need a week off from required readings, but it’s still the best time to squeeze in the books I wanted to read for kicks.

We shouldn’t hesitate to “play” with friends – while we’ve maybe moved on from street baseball games and sidewalk chalking (and maybe we shouldn’t have), the reconnecting and hanging out with people close to you has been put off long enough. You can appease the adult in you by getting some coffee together (instead of soda at the mall), or seeing a movie (without Mom having to come pick you up afterward).

When it comes right down to it, childhood is about making relaxation a priority, and having a summer break encourages us not to lose sight of that as we race furiously toward adulthood.

But we’ve already spent 10 months frantically anticipating assignments and exams, and there’s no easier way to give up any enjoyment of your break than to let adult obligations stress you out. Money for car insurance, gasoline, food and rent has to be earned somehow. And there will still never be enough time to work a 40-hour (or more) week and achieve all the tasks slated for the eternally elusive “free time” we hope to have. If we don’t try to at least partially plan our schedules around the things we love, and want to do, we set ourselves up for the rut in which we’ll spend our actual adult lives.

So when you flop down on your couch after you come home from a long day of work, or sigh tiredly every time you glance at your textbooks, remember that the little bit of kid left in you still exists. Embrace it while you can.

Take a trip, climb a tree, make pancakes for dinner, or even dig up your old action figures. Make time to get your summer started off right. When it’s gone, it’s gone – don’t let it slip away.