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Time...

After spending 10 days in a quite Free State town, the thought of returning to the busy city has the whole family down in the dumps. I keep wondering why it is that the city is so claustraphobic and I have come to the conclusion that because of the high crime rate and the amount of people in the city, there is no way we can allow our children in the streets or just going round the corner to their friends, so the result is kids that spend most of their time indoors, watching TV or playing computer games. It cannot be healthy for them and I often think back on my upbringing on the farm which was 35km from the nearest town and our neighbours were a good 20 minutes drive away. We were never inside and permanantly ran around bare foot, come rain or shine!
I would love to give my children that kind of upbringing and because it is not possible at the moment, I try to do the next best thing - go for as many walks outside as you can, show your kids the tiniest beetle or the biggest snail you can find, interest them in things that are real instead of putting them in front of the TV, and get them to read as much as they can because without a picture in front of them they have to use their own imaginations. We medicate our kids because they are hyperactive, they don't eat properly and the are unable to entertain themselves - can we really say that we are doing the best we can for them? Shouldn't we be giving them the tools to survive instead of trying to control their every move and every thought?

My kids never seem to be looking at me when I take pictures of them and I hope its because there is something far more interesting in front of them!

Reagan - 19months

Mackenzie - 4years 11mths

Comments

  1. JustineMay 1, 2011 at 9:08 PM

    Was just reading an article about the children and outdoors this very afternoon. Have a look at these websites, they may give you more ideas as to keep the kids outside: www.naturedetectives.org.uk or www.forestschools.com
    The other thing the article said was, what they now call, Nature Deficit Disorder which leads to a rise in obesity, attention disorders and depression. (Now just think of the teenagers and early 20 somethings of today) I see these zombie like kids walking around here and sometimes I just want to smack them awake and say HEY, there is this whole world out here to experience. All their noses are seemed to be stuck into their phones or ipods. Its up to us to help change the youth of today, or it will just get worse! That said, I am so happy I can go for my walks in the clean parks of England and show my James all there is to see.

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