Children these days, when they are not in the classroom, spend their time being carpooled from activity to activity to activity. From sports, to Girl Scouts, to piano lessons, to blah blah blah. When they finally do have a free minute (which is rare because they still have to do their schoolwork), what do they do? Watch TV or play video games. Where is the imagination? Where is the fun? We used to gather up all of the neighborhood kids and play. We played Tag, Red Rover, jump rope, House, Doctor... Games that we had to use our imaginations, our muscles, our social skills for. When's the last time you saw a kid doing that? When's the last time you saw a group of kids playing outside together for that matter? It's so sad to me that this is what has become of childhood. No wonder there are so many mal-adjusted (is that word?) children in the world today.
So here is my advice... Parents, put away the car keys. Your children will not be any less special if they only play one sport or take up one extra-curricular. Take them to library and instill in them the love of books (a great imagination booster), buy them a hoe and teach them how to garden, take them to the park, do an arts and crafts project together... And children, put down the TV remote, the video game and GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY! Build a snowman, a pillow fort, collect lightening bugs, read a book, write a story, play hopscotch (do kids even know that game anymore?), sell lemonade on your street... Enjoy your childhood while it lasts because life gets way too serious, way too fast.
3 comments:
happy to see you blogging!! it is a great release...and i agree, my son would no sooner go outside and build a cabin than the next perpetually bored child. Meanwhile that is how I spent at least 4 summers from the age of 8...building cabins with my neighbor friends, going through the sears catalogue planning my future work wardrobe and furnishing a fifth ave apartment...there was that imagination. NO..my parents werent carting me anywhere in those days. we made our own fun. cant wait to read more from you Joy! happy blogging.
i agree with alot of what your saying but at the same time....where are the safe neighborhoods for our children to be doing all of the things that we remember doing? we used to have nice quiet streets to play in and nice neighbors that helped keep an eye out for our children. now we have buildings everywhere on busy roads and live in a society where its every man for himself. its sad what the world has come to....
I am with Sami on this one. My kids love to do all those things but as I have said, there is nobody else outside to do it with. We live on a courtyard with kids in the neighborhood but NOBODY is ever out there playing! My daughter is an avid reader and both kids have a great imagination, however, the times are the times and we can fight them or just give in. By the way.....Aimee has been asking to sell Lemonade for years....now I am going to have to let her! I love you too!!
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