My Suburban Escapes

“I am not young enough to know everything.” 
JM Barrie

Everything we do is for the kids. We discuss their wellbeing ad nauseam and hover over them to assist with every need.  But do we ever do them the kindness of leaving them alone? Throw them outside and let them explore?  I’m concerned our kids are learning to view “nature” in an abstract way rather than innately. They are typically so overscheduled, overprogrammed and fearful of the outdoors (stranger danger! wear your helmet! watch out for ticks/coyotes/speeding cars/men in white vans!) that roaming outside is a foreign concept.

My Mom would send my brother down the driveway to get the newspaper in the mornings when he was a toddler. We would marvel at how long it took him to get back. He’d return with everything except the paper – rocks, bugs, leaves, dirt dauber nests – but his journey mattered more than the daily news. We spent our childhood days outside building forts and traps, catching tadpoles and frogs, making mud pies and playing kickball until dark. We didn’t require vast open spaces or woods, just the yard and an empty lot next door. A kid can find entire universes in a yard and never be exposed to any danger…if you encourage it.

You have to be comfortable with the outdoors yourself in order to teach your kids the same. Lead by example.  Wonder and self-reliance are every bit as important as good manners and healthy food choices. She’s called Mother Nature for a reason.  Let her teach. All that’s required is some unscheduled time, a patch of open space and you being comfortable enough to turn ‘em loose. They’re still young enough to be naturally connected to the earth.  And you’re old enough to turn off their screens and send them outside until suppertime.