I Saw The Ad...And Heard The Screams

I'm pretty sure I heard the screams, the anguish of millions of children as the messages permeate the airwaves. The message is simple:

It's time...

Time to shop.

Why is summer the shortest three months of the year? How can three simple words change a child's relatively happy demeanor into something resembling a puddle of sadness? I remember those days, back when I had summers free of responsibility--school or otherwise. The ads would hit in July, when memories of leaving school that last time before summer vacation were still fresh in my mind.

But those three words were a wake-up call, something to slap you around letting you know that the happy days of summer are really an illusion, that life can take away as easily as it can give.

Yes, I saw the ad and heard the screams. The commercial wasn't for the kids--it was for the adults. It was a wake-up call for them as well. Time to go save on those things every child needs. Of course, many parents can't wait for school to begin anew.

And just maybe, some of the screams I heard came from them.