I was reading on the internet this morning and ran across a post about what kids today are missing. When you stop and look at this particular generation of children, most people will say, "What are they missing? They have far more than we ever did!" and that is true. Maybe that is the problem, or a part of the problem. They have too much.
When I was a child, I played outside ALL day. There were kittens to play with, dogs to play with, hills to be climbed, crawdads to be caught, creeks to be waded in, rocks to be thrown, bikes to be ridden and a swing in an old apple tree that took me around the world and back. My cousin and I had a jump board run through a garden gate, and when we got tired of that, we moved it up a couple notches and it became a seesaw. What fun we had with that (and yes, we did get a few splinters). We raced our bikes, looked for 4 leaf clovers, and laid on our backs and looked for shapes in the clouds as they drifted over. To top it all off, we actually had conversations that involved TALKING and not pushing buttons on a cell phone to send a text!
My mother always knew the general area I was in, and if she didn't, she went to the back door and hollered for me. If I knew what was good for me, I answered her on the first time, definitely no later than the second time.(I remember hiding from her one time, thinking it was funny. Let's just say that didn't turn out well for this pirate so I didn't do that any more). I knew to stay within the boundaries where I could hear her. She didn't hover over me. I'm sure she looked out the window or came outside to see if she could see me, but she didn't hover. She was prepared for dirty hands and feet, for dirty clothes, and had no fear that I was going to get some germs on me. She KNEW I was germ central, so she had hot water, clean towels, washcloths, and soap waiting for me at the end of the day.
In the summer, we ate fresh veggies most days. I didn't know they were good for me. I just knew I liked them. Winter always involved lots of hot lunches, suppers, and a cozy time of reading before bed. When Daddy was off work and home, I could always climb up on his lap and he would read me Bible stories before bedtime.
There's a pattern here in case you haven't noticed. We didn't have TV. I was 12 years old before we had a TV in the house. We read the newspapers, had subscriptions to magazines, and listened to the radio, while the housework was being done. In the evenings, we sat in the swing on the front porch, or on the steps and we talked. Stories were shared from times when my parents were kids. I can still remember falling asleep on that old swing with my head in somebody's lap and listening to the sound of their voices, the crickets, and the creek running down past the front yard.
When it got too hot in the summer to sit in the house, we sat on the side porch, or out in the yard and enjoyed the shade. Daddy had an old glider on the side porch that was perfect for taking a nap or laying on to read a book.
Children today are exposed to way more than we ever were. Sometimes that can be good, sometimes not. It seems they seldom go outside because it's too hot, or too cold, or a thousand other reasons. It's much easier to sit on the sofa and play video games. Fresh air might kill them or so it seems. When my kids were growing up, I seldom saw them during the day. Oh, I HEARD them, but seldom saw them unless they were hungry or thirsty. They were too busy building forts, hiding, and playing with the neighbor kids, in the woods behind our houses. Now when they get together, they laugh about the skinned up knees, the scratches from the briars, the bicycle wrecks, and the battles in the trees.
I love sitting and listening to their stories, listening to their laughter and their "Do you remember the time" happenings. I'm so glad we turned off the TV and lived.
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