Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Free to Play

One of my neighbors dropped by recently to share her concern about the fact that I let my girls ride their bikes up the steep hill near our house and then speed down.  The hill is on the sidewalk (so, not in the street with cars), and yes it is a little steep, but isn't that part of the fun?  She wanted to warn me that the girls could be abducted because the hill is so far away (it's literally right up the street and I can see them), that they could accidentally veer into the street (even though there is a huge patch of grass lawn between the street and the sidewalk), or (gasp) they could fall.

At some point, we've got to start trusting our kids to spend time outdoors.  We live in a time where kids spend less and less time playing on their own, and moms spend more and more of their time micromanaging their child's every activity to make sure it's safe and sterile.   It's not good for our kids, and it's not good for us either to be that uber involved in our kids every activity.  To be that protective of their every potential challenge, frustration, or failure. 

I read this article today, and I thought, how sad.  We live in a time where kids don't even go outdoors anymore!  And, when they do, like my kids- we as parents are reprimanded for letting them have a little space to do something a little daring.  But isn't that what childhood is about?  Learning to be confident in your own capabilities, learning the limits and boundaries of your own body, and feeling free enough to have a little fun?


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