Where have all the children gone?
Think of the song by Peter, Paul and Mary: Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
The flowers went to graveyards. The children – our children and grandchildren – thank goodness – have not, but they are nowhere to be seen.
I walk my neighborhood and see lots of garages filled with soccer balls and bicycles, but no one kicking the balls or riding the bikes.
I spot driveways with professionally installed basketball hoops, but no one practicing free throws.
And the sidewalks?
They are devoid of activity except for plugged-in adult power walkers immersed in what their particular ear pods are blasting into their ears.
And the merry-go-rounds and teeter totters of days past?
Replaced by carefully constructed, low-to-the-ground, low-risk playground equipment too easily mastered.
Where are the kids?
I don’t see them playing in their generously proportioned back yards – chasing each other around, rolling in the dirt, spinning dizzily around before falling in the grass.
It’s like that in Newport News, Virginia, where I visit my sister and brother-in-law at in my hometown of Cincinnati.
It’s like that in the suburbs of New York City, where my adult kids reside with my grandchildren. And it’s like that in Tampa, Florida, where I call home.
Where have all the children gone?
The children – our children and grandchildren – are encamped inside, playing video games, staring at screens, surfing the web, texting, e mailing, watching you tube. For about nine hours each day, research shows.
Oh – and one more thing they are doing? Falling out of chairs when in the classroom due to lack of balance.
What IS going on?
Overscheduled kids
Autism on the rise
Waves of attention deficit kids unable to sustain their concentration.
Sensory and emotional disorders increasing alarmingly.
I can tell you what is NOT going on:
Active and Unrestricted Play
Jumping rope
Spinning dizzily
Swinging high on a swing
Having the opportunity to play away from the adult world.
If you are relating to this post, you may want to listen to the podcast nonfiction4life with host Janet Perry, Episode #104: “Balanced and Barefoot” featuring pediatric occupational therapist Angela J. Hanscom
Here are two key points taken directly from the show notes:
In nature, children learn to take risks, overcome fears, make new friends, regulate emotions and create imaginary worlds. These experiences create healthy bodies, creative minds, academic success, emotional stability and strong social skills.
Outdoor play naturally motivates kids to move, strengthening their muscles and engaging all their senses.
If you are a parent or grandparent and concerned your kiddos are getting way too much screen time and not enough of the benefits of “playing outside” time, this blog may be of great interest to you. Angela J. Hanscom clues us in on not only the benefits of play, but how to get the kids to do it. And love it.
And here is the link: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&sxsrf=ALiCzsYD3bNdNhvlOd18lZKLPGWlFarqNg:1661212008510&q=nonfiction+for+life+episode+104&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwidsKf90Nv5AhW4VTABHRQMBHsQBSgAegQIARA1&biw=1366&bih=448&dpr=1
Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
Iris Ruth Pastor
If you have a novel activity you do with your kids and/or grandkids that involves active outdoor play, give a holler: irisruthpastor@gmail.com