Don't watch your kids play...

I was listening to MPR today and Garrison Keillor was the featured guest.  He made me laugh so hard in the car all by myself.

He said when he was a young boy in MN, he and his friends would go out in the field and play baseball.  No backstops, one old bat and ball, not everyone had a glove.  No adults around - they had a great time.  When they got tired of playing baseball - they would go play something else.  They would wander around like a pack of wolves.  That picture was familiar to me.  I remember going outside in the morning, coming in for lunch, going back outside, coming home for supper and going outside until dark.  We were never bored - never said the word. 

Watching a baseball game the another day, Garrison observed the kids in uniforms, with Moms and Dads yelling at them and coaches telling them what to do and where to go.  The boys didn't look like they were having a very good time.  While I found it funny at the time - perhaps it isn't really very funny at
all.

Have we programmed our kids and scheduled their free time to the extent that they have no imaginations anymore.  Do they ever get to go outside and build forts and tunnel through mounds of dirt like my brother and I did. 

Maybe we need to let them loose to make those memories of unstructured playtime.  What do you think?

Take care and take a day off - no schedule - just for fun!

Bonnie

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Comments

  1. Well, in my not so distant past, maybe 10 years ago, I definitely played in my share of dirt! And made up our own games...

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  2. haha, dirt. hahhahha i miss playing in mud, and not caring how dirty i was......
    as for the word "bored," i hate that word. i cannot stand it.
    so i dont use it =))

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  3. Dani - I'm glad you had imaginative playtime...makes a better person I think!

    sweet pea - for me gardening and right now, just getting to my house satisfies the dirt/mud thing. "That" word just sets me off - not so grandmotherly responses come from my mouth!!!

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  4. I love Garrison Keiller, and I totally agree with his observation!

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  5. I was just thinking about this the other day! I was talking with a friend about how the world today does not allow us to even think for one moment! With the age of information and technology so rapidly evolving, information and things are just brought to us, and we're told how to be, there is hardly ANY room for imagination anymore! In fact, I feel like when people, especially children are imaginative, people think there's something "wrong" with them! How sad:(

    Last weekend my husband and I built a fort in our living room and watched a movie in it. Best time ever!

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  6. Becca - how fun to build a fort in your livingroom! Now that's a cool weekend activity! I bet there were lots of laughs - so good for us!

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  7. hahahahahahah "did grandma just..... use the word DARN???? :o was it because i said i was bored??"

    =D

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  8. "that" word is "bored!" Oh this gram says lots worse at times (not in front of little ones tho)...it is my passion for different things that engages my mouth w/o checking with my brain! I guess there are worse vices....maybe!

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