Raising Kids
Raising kids would have been so much easier 100-150 years ago (post Civil War period). This was my revelation tonight as my kids played outside. They were meticulously placing large rocks on some weeds we've begun growing. Emma was concerned that someone might get poked. My kids get along a lot better when they are outside. Most of the fights they have on a regular day are over video games, which movie they're going to watch, and specific toys. A hundred years ago there was no TV, no video games, and very few toys. Kids had rocks, water, flowers, dirt and each other. How great would it be to let your kids go play in the field on the swing hanging from the old oak! They could go fishing, pick flowers, skip rocks, play chase and watch the clouds change shape. Even when we were kids, our parents let us play outside. Right now is a sad time in history to be raising kids.
Raising kids would have been so much easier 100-150 years ago (post Civil War period). This was my revelation tonight as my kids played outside. They were meticulously placing large rocks on some weeds we've begun growing. Emma was concerned that someone might get poked. My kids get along a lot better when they are outside. Most of the fights they have on a regular day are over video games, which movie they're going to watch, and specific toys. A hundred years ago there was no TV, no video games, and very few toys. Kids had rocks, water, flowers, dirt and each other. How great would it be to let your kids go play in the field on the swing hanging from the old oak! They could go fishing, pick flowers, skip rocks, play chase and watch the clouds change shape. Even when we were kids, our parents let us play outside. Right now is a sad time in history to be raising kids.
4 Comments:
At 2:06 PM,
tommy said…
Sounds pretty boring to me. But at least the booze was stronger back then.
At 8:50 PM,
Anonymous said…
DR thrush, your comments seem a little misled, uninformed. I can't help but ask, do you get out in your community much at all? Obviously you have never worked in pediatric medicine and done a rape kit on a child, nor would your comments sit well with people who have lost children to pedophiles ....as they so safely played in the front yard while mom and dad were "somewhere" in the house. And by the way, I DO happen to know personally TWO people who were abducted and raped. No, we don't need to create a shadow around every corner for our children but we are responsible to be fully informed of the Real Facts--there are people who prey on children. And we would be derelict if we failed to equip them with some knowledge ( as they can understand it) that might help them escape being a victim. Children can be taught these things without passing on paranoia and harming their innocence. We have done this from the time they were infants by saying NO when they reach for danger. If you really believe that crimes against children are so hyped up, talk to your local policemen,ER Doctors, Rape crisis centers about the stories that don't get reported because of the shame. I appreciate your optimism that our kids will be just fine and I pray that will be true for mine and yours, but I'll be sitting in the front yard watching and listening to them... and besides it's more fun that way instead of being stuck inside reading blogs or something like that.
At 1:13 PM,
Laurie O. said…
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.--Helen Keller
I tend to agree with the above quote, except that we should use common sense and caution. I also like what you said,
Kids had rocks, water, flowers, dirt and each other.I wish my kids played outside more. I wish we didn't live in the city.
At 1:22 PM,
+ Alan said…
I think, though, that there was more than likely a lot of rock throwing that went on in 1854 - lots more kids with scars on their heads. Kids are sort of heathens like that - always find something to fight about, but then we guide them, and they fight some more, and we yell too much, and then we apologize and kiss them. Things don't always turn out well, but we can help most of that. Anyway, yeah - rock throwing. Funny.
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