My Connections to Play

One of the greatest joys of growing up in a small town, finding adventure outside everyday. 

I grew up in the 1970's without computers, smart phones, etc. much less cable television. Spending time inside was really only allowed when the weather wasn't nice (think thunderstorms, blizzards, etc.) and even then we were encouraged to try and be outside. 

This was my grandfather for me when I was a child and hopefully it is me for my child today

I'm bored is a phrase we never used in my house growing up because if my mom heard it she would hand you a dust rag or vacuum. We spent hours wandering around our backyard, resting under the lilac trees, riding bikes to the swimming pool, home to throw the towels over the clothes line, bedrooms to change and then back outside to dig in the dirt. I never had "nothing" to do in my home. 

Art supplies were a staple in our home and we were never told no when we asked for new supplies

I loved to explore in my mom's jewelry box, she had a mixture of things from my great-grandma and grandma. Every time I went through it she would share stories with me about the pieces and the people they came from and the meaning they held for her. 

A sheet, spread out over the living room floor, the dining room table, the couch, hung with clothespins from the trees and bushes in the backyard, made the playhouses of my youth. The smell of a crisp sheet fresh from the laundry reminds me of summer days drowsy under the sun. 

In my youth and in my small town it was no big deal for younger kids to be outside all day without an adult right there, to be able to have the "run" of your block, visiting neighbors, playing with friends, exploring the block as long as you checked in with your mom or caretaker. Now I am uncomfortable leaving my child outside to play without checking on him every two minutes. I don't know the neighbors the way my parents did, there is more traffic on the roads in my neighborhood now and the guidelines of my town home complex states that children can't be "unattended" at any time. I am sad that as carefree as my childhood and young adulthood was that I can be this "hovering" parent when I know that my child needs some freedom to thrive. I do take him for walks on the nearby nature paths and allow him to lead as we wander through the river reeds and "fish" in the river. I think that he needs these adventures to balance out the amount of time he has to sit still in school activities or in front of electronic devices. So, is play important? Absolutely!! He can't learn without it.