Frog catching, bike-jump constructing, tree climbing, wagon riding,
fort building, sledding hill searching, freeze tag playing and
kick-the-can organizing sums up a good portion of my childhood. As a
kid growing up in the woods of Maine, I spent a lot of my time
outdoors. I envy the amount of sunshine and fresh air that little Trina
had—it's the same sunshine that big Trina now needs to strategically
schedule into her busy days. Sigh.
More and more, I see kids
who don't spend much time outside. Perhaps it has something to do with
the fact that I now live in urban environments that pose greater
threats to wandering children. Perhaps it's related to shifting
cultural priorities. Maybe it's tied to television and internet controlling a
greater proportion of leisure time. Whatever it is, it makes me kind of
sad.
A friend recently sent me an article that laments children's loss of independence in exchange for parental security. The
author describes how kids seem more timid these days. They're
constantly told how dangerous the world is, often kept inside enclosed
areas, or tied to one of those kiddie leashes (er, harnesses). This is
bad, the author says, for building independence, confidence, and even
street savvy in kids.
I'm not sure if my childhood freedom to explore the outside world has
anything to do with my stubborn confidence that I can go anywhere and
do just about anything. (Except enter professional hot-dog eating
competitions. I do recognize my limits. Those guys are totally nuts.) But I assert that wandering through the woods, climbing trees and getting cuts and
bruises turned me into a fearless warrior of a child—a quality that (I
like to think) I still carry to this day.
Thus, I can identify with the author's position. I'm not sure if I'm
just turning into an old grump complaining that kids these
days aren't tough like they used to be. Frankly, I don't know.
What I do know is that there's healthy fear and unhealthy fear. Healthy
fear is making sure kids understand not to get in a car with a
stranger, or not chasing a ball into a busy street. Unhealthy fear
arises when kids and parents become afraid of the outside world, and
decide not to engage in outdoor play. But regardless of how dangerous
it is outside, kids (and adults) need to get out of the house for
reasons of physical, mental, and emotional development.
[Ever read The
Yellow Wallpaper? The doctor had the best of intentions in keeping
the main character locked in her room to "cure" her illness, which was supposedly
exacerbated by contact with the outside world. But then she ended up going
completely crazy from sitting inside all day in isolation and staring at
the same yellow wallpaper. She would have been far better off going outside
to play.]
But check it: there's a really rad organization that advocates for
free, unstructured play. It's called Playborhood, and it was started by a group of parents who
wanted their kids to experience the joys of childhood through play.
Articles on the site suggest tearing down fences, transforming unused
garages into common spaces for kids, and establishing a local community
whereby many adults participate in the neighborhood kids' lives. I
agree—breaking down barriers to active, unstructured, outdoor play is
beneficial for kids (and adults!).
Check out ways you can get involved—Playborhood needs passionate
writers, activists, photographers, and folks to spread the word about the importance of play.
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