Summer is the absolute best season. I know it, you know it, heck, even your teachers know it! But why? Can it be explained chemically? When the thermometer hits 80 degrees, do our bodies go into happy mode? Maybe.

Check out the belated version of this post, 5 Reasons to Love Summer!

1. El Sol

Yes, the sun is a great start. As a symbol of light, it makes us feel as though we no longer face the pressures that we feel during the school year. The days grow longer and the nights get shorter. We have a (slight) tendency to wake up earlier, but we also are tempted to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. And that’s where our self control kicks in.

I think that everyone likes when it’s sunny out. It’s just a fact of life. Especially for young people.

2. Leaving Home

Moreover, what do lots of kids do when summer works its way onto our calendars? GO AWAY TO CAMP! Whatever genre of camp you go to, it doesn’t even matter. Camping camp, drama camp, academic camp, music camp, religious retreats, sports camps, debate camps, technology camps, who cares? All we know is that we are away from home! (And not that I don’t absolutely love my family, but I need some me-time once in a while, ya know?) As long as you are mature enough to not be homesick for the entire summer, camp will probably be an amazing experience. When you go away, it’s a time to kick back and enjoy whatever the camp has to offer. You can associate yourself with whatever people you want, dye your hair any color you want, sing and dance to whatever you want, as long as you don’t go overboard. We focus on whatever the camp is for, while also creating friendships and relationships that, depending on you, can either be a one-time gig or a bond that lasts for a lifetime. It’s YOUR call.

3. No school

SCHOOL’S OUT! Eh…not so quick there, junior. Technically, we haven’t been assigned any homework, but a lot of kids use the summer to catch up on what they missed during the school year. Some extra studious kids even use it as time to get a head start on what’s coming in the fall. Some kids even decide to torture themselves with summer school. But it’s their own decision and will probably end up benefiting their college careers. And as we get older and the college application process becomes more relevant, some kids are unfortunate enough to have to start focusing on things like the SAT. That kind of knowledge doesn’t appear overnight; it comes from hours and hours of hardcore studying.

But we still prefer summer to the school days; there’s a lot more free time, and even if we have to study, we can get creative with it. Who says you have to study MATH over the summer? Why not take a college course? You could make your summer goal to learn a new language, or get involved in a new volunteer opportunity! Maybe you don’t need a book, but in my opinion, that still counts as knowledge.

4. Sleep

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. YES. More sleep = less cranky me. Even though a lot of people spend their summer nights up past midnight, we’ll probably sleep in till noon the next day. And that works for me! Until autumn rolls around, of course :( Meanwhile, no matter what time we go to sleep, we generally get our required 7 hours and so, we are happier and more relaxed than usual.

5. Perspiration

The HEAT makes us sweat. Our perspiration could be considered a good or bad thing; sure, it feels disgusting and we look horrible, but wow, the feeling that you get after a good exercise? The breeze whipping past your skin that you could barely feel before now feels like a cool gust that you might get at the top of a mountain. It’s also the way that humans lose weight. So drink up, step out in the sunshine, and sweat away.

6. Minimal Clothing

Speaking of skin, the summer brings out our wild animal. Whether or not you go down to the beach, you can still have a great time lounging by the pool. Guys take their shirts off; girls strip down to a swimsuit. IT GETS OUR HORMONES FLOWING! You catch my drift? As the amount of clothing we wear declines, the happiness that youngsters experience in the summer increases (huge slope).

7. Summer Flings

And when clothes start falling off, you know that summer flings are bound to happen. Maybe not to everyone, but certainly to some. And they’re called summer “flings” for a reason; when the summer ends and Labor Day approaches, you take that makeshift relationship and FLING it out the window! Summer relationships aren’t meant to last! You never look back, except when recalling to your kids that vague, yet oh-so-amazing summer with what’s-his-name. You won’t even remember the name, let alone what happened, but you will remember the carefree lovin’ that made summer your favorite season of the year.

• DP