Did your mom ever tell you to Go outside and play? Mine did. Every day. Were you at a loss for what to do out there? Not me. I loved being outdoors.
Big kids played with little kids. I climbed Eddie’s sycamore tree before I knew its name. We went bike riding and played catch with the dogs. We all played together, no matter what school we went to. The safety net was one single rule, we had to be able to hear our parents call us from one of the 5 yards.
Each yard was good for something different and some parents were more tolerant of noise than others. My yard had a slate patio and it was great for jump rope or bouncing ball kinds of games with little kids. I loved Eddie’s black driveway that was so great for skating and handball. When firefly season came, we dashed around collecting as many as we could in our glass jars and then we gathered in a big tent in my yard telling tales by the “light of the bugs” until it was time to go home.
Circus. We created circus. Our pets reluctantly joined in this charade with silly costumes. Eddie always had some new magic tricks to WOW us with. Kathy and I took turns being ringmaster. It was as much fun getting it all together as it was to actually perform before our appreciative audience full of grandmothers, some who did not even speak the same language as the others.
Somehow refreshments always appeared on the table for all to share. Lemonade or cookies. Our parents kept us home all through the summer and after school. We spent most of our time outdoors. Rarely did we even go inside another person’s house but we had a lifetime of fun in our yards.
We think we invented the adventure game called “Scout”. It was our specialty. We had to gather all sorts of outdoor gear like canteens, flashlights, sunglasses. Once I got in trouble for using my Dad’s Leupold binoculars in the game instead of Eddie’s plastic ones. Mom explained they were real binoculars and cost a lot so they were off limits. Today I use them for birdwatching and no little kids will play with mine!
Why don’t we play in our backyards anymore? That is where we learned how to get along. No one told us about ‘developing social skills’. We did not allow fighting. Today it is common to have fights in school. Our neighborhoods are empty and quiet. Kids play along indoors with video games or TVs. Kids eat more junk food and get less active and get more fat every year.
I wonder if we all spent more time outdoors we could have healthier kids and happier neighborhoods. Our kids spend a lot of time so protected and supervised in group activities they hardly know how to create outdoor games. Let’s make a difference and create some healthy outdoor fun together today.
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