Adults are obsolete children. ~Dr. Seuss
In my soul, I am still that small child who did not care
about anything else but the beautiful colors of a rainbow. ~Papiha Ghosh
Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the
present, which very few of us do. ~Jean de la Bruyere
Being able to run and play. We lived on a mountain in the
woods and we had big imaginations with what little we had.
Camping was a big thing for us growing up, especially since
we didn’t have to leave the mountain to do it. Again, using our imaginations to
pretend we were somewhere else.
This picture is so similar to the
tree house we built with my dad. We had so much fun playing in there.
Being able to run and play in the
open without our parents having to worry, it was a great childhood. We would
get up early in the summer and play until dark, even after dark when we were
camping. I had a hard time when my children were growing up we lived in the town,
even though a small town, there were still worries of someone or something
happening to them. I did play outside with them but not until they were older
did I let them venture out on their own. We would go to my parents and they
were allowed to run free. It’s sad that times have changed so much that we have
to worry about someone taking our children.
Play is such a vital part of being
a child and growing up. We develop cognitive, physical, social and emotional
skills through play. Children need to be children.
Hi Catherine
ReplyDeleteAlthough we seem to view the freedom to explore their environment as something that has been lost to children due to safety concerns, etc., I always made a point of letting my children go out into the conservation (protected park) area behind our house to explore / make forts, etc. (just like you used visits to your parents' home). I think moving forward, parents need to choose an environment that they feel is safe but then to back away and see if their children are capable of the creativity needed to enjoy that setting. After all, if they never get opportunities, they will just turn to you and ask what they are supposed to be doing.
Carolyn
Play is a vital part of growing up and times have changed so much that are children are becoming hermits. Camping as a child was so much fun to explore around the lake or campground. We found arrowheads and other neat items to bring back and share with friends. I would love to have raised my children in an area where they could run free and be safe with no worries. How is the lack of play going to impact our children and our futures as we grow older since these children will be taking care of us?
ReplyDelete