Parenting 101 – ‘Inside Vs. Out’

I don’t know if it’s a generational thing or if I’m simply failing as a parent.  Today’s weather calls for sunny skies with temperatures in the lower 80s.  Where were my children this morning?  They were in the house watching television.  I went so far as to pull the cord from the back of the television and hide it, adamantly instructing them to go outside. “But – there’s nothing to do outside!”  What??

Here’s where I think the generational thing comes in (I actually had this ‘back in my day’ conversation with my 10 year old).  When I was a kid I was outside ALL day long.  I would disappear into the woods and build tree forts.  I would spend time riding my bike around the neighborhood, even pretending I was John Baker from CHiPs.  Now I will say that the neighborhood I grew up in had a lot of kids to play with whereas my children are fairly isolated out in the country and times have certainly changed.  My parents knew I was out in the woods but didn’t really pay much attention.  It’s a bit more complicated and dangerous these days.

Still, to get my kids to go outside for more than 10 minutes at a time is a chore.  Where’s the imagination?  Where’s the love of nature?  Is it just my kids?  Probably.

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