Good Morning Everyone!
Sorry it has been a few days since I wrote, summer vacation tends to be busy in the Schwab house! Our 5 year old is at VBS, and our son is down on my 'real' dad's farm in southern Minnesota.
So, after hearing about my son's day yesterday and hearing about their plans for today on the farm, it is very clear to me what living in the city does to our children. Or maybe I should say what they miss out on living in the city.
The city was meant for adults, teens, elderly, NOT children, especially boys. Children need freedom, they need to roam, they need to explore, they need to experience nature. Living in a large city with small lots, there isn't a lot of space to explore, especially when there are few children in the neighborhood to explore with.
Let me give you an run-down on his day yesterday. He got to the farm around 10am and went to bed around 10pm. In that time, he played with the kitties, planted plants, went on a motorcycle ride, swam at the community pool for a couple hours, roasted weiners over a bon-fire, went fishing, and played.
Today some of the plans they have are visiting the neighbors horses, playing with the kitties, fishing, swimming at the local pool, gathering eggs from the chickens on the farm next door. Then, I am sure they will have another fire, do some more gardening, probably another motorcycle ride or a scooter ride, and who knows what else!
My son is happy, free, and loving life. He is only inside to sleep and the only TV he has watched was a movie this morning while he waited for everyone else to wake up, since he woke up at 6am!
Children need that freedom! We are blessed because my husband's mom has a cabin up north that we go to often in the summer. So, my son drives a boat around, fishes, swims, and just is outside. I think it is so important for children to play outside and especially important for boys.
Children don't need organized sports, they should be able to do a pick up game or just go to the park and play catch with who ever is there. That doesn't happen anymore. It still happens in the country but, not here in the city anymore.
Parents are afraid of abductions, afraid of their children getting lost or hurt. Parents are working so their children are in daycare all day. I don't think we realize as parents how much of our children's childhood we are stealing from them.
You only get to be a child once, we should embrace their childhood and everything that comes with it. That includes all the scrapes, broken bones, fish hooks in fingers, dirt/mud, you name it. Children are great, they by nature have an explorer attitude and it is part of how their brain and body needs to grow.
Now, I know we all don't have a farm or cabin we can go to and many of us live in a city so, what can we do to let our children have some freedom?
Send them to camp! There are a lot of day camps, over night camps, and specialty camps. They can go to camp for horses, arts and crafts, water-skiing, and Bible time. There are even camps for children with diabetes, AIDS, gluten-free camps, wheelchair camps, you name it, there is a camp out there and chances are there are some pretty great camps very close to where you live.
If you can't give your children freedom at home, give them the freedom at camp. Or take a road trip! We live in a great country for road trips and there are still some great areas within a days drive from everywhere in the US for exploring, adventure, and nature.
Upper Mid-West people go visit Duluth, MN, Mt. Rushmore in SD, Mackinaw or Madeline Is in Michigan, or the windmills in Iowa.
West people go visit Napa Valley, Victoria Island, WA, The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Aspen Valley and the Continental Divide in CO.
South people visit the Bayous in Louisiana, Indian Mounds Wilderness in TX, or Talladega National Forest in Alabama.
Eastern people....for one...move out of the city! Ok, just kidding. Go visit Maine, just visit the whole state, it has so much to offer! Also visit any of the many Civil War Battlefields while they are still around! There are some in MO, KS, VA, GA, SC, WV, and PA.
Central US people one of my favorite spots is Atchison, Kansas. Go visit Benedictine College on the bluffs on the river and look across the the river valley. It is beautiful and I am sure some of it has been built up in the last 18 years but, it is still not touched too much. Plus, Atchison, KS is the birthplace of Amelia Earhart. Visit St. Joseph, MO just about 40 minutes away to see where Jesse James was shot.
I know there are many more places in this beautiful country of ours to go visit. Take the time, go visit them. Let your children explore, let them learn about the history of our country and let them be free!
Get your toddlers out of their strollers and off their leashes and let them run free. Get your boys outside and have them look at different leaves from all over the US or teach them about our country.
OH! Also, when or if you do a road trip, I would strongly suggest doing 'no chains'. That means no fast food, no chain restaurants. Steve and I did that last summer on our family road trip to a dude ranch in CO. We had great meals, they were cheap and we stopped in weird and random places we normally would not have. We never had a bad meal either!
I need to go get my daughter and get outside!
Blessings to you all!
-Liza