Remember that feeling when you were a kid of winter finally being over? Time to play outside…and not come in until dinnertime only to go back out once again until you were dragged in by your mom. I remember playing games like Spud and Capture the Flag with the neighbors ALL day. I remember running through sprinklers. I remember using our imaginations to no end. Making haunted houses in the woods, doing pretend picnics in the yard, going on nature hunts. And, we never got bored.
“I just don’t want him playing in the woods“, is the one request I got from the mom of my son’s friend the other day when he was here. Keep in mind he is 13. What? The woods?
No, he wasn’t sick. No recent sitings of bears or major infestations of ticks in our yard. We live in a suburban neighborhood – our woods are hardly woods. But, no woods she said. He came over with his phone and laptop.
Recently the New York State Health Department wanted to ban games like freeze tag, red rover, and kickball from summer camps saying they are too risky for kids. A joke? No.
A homeowners association in Florida is trying to ban kids from playing outside. They actually want to fine these families $100 for playing outside in the common area of the subdivision.
What is going on? Are we supposed to just keep our kids tied up inside in some virtual world?
{ 8 comments }
I can’t believe what the world is coming to! Fine kids for playing inside?! Unbelievable!
Miel et Lait´s last [type] ..Why I don’t vlog
You must be joking! As a child, I spent many an hour playing Spud, Scully, Red Rover, and riding my bike everywhere…just like in PBS’ show Arthur. I wish my kids had that life, but most kids are too busy at an activity or at a sibling’s activity. No wonder I feel like my head is going to burst some days…my kids need peers to play with, not just each other or me!
I remember in the apartment building where I lived, Mrs. Bernstein yelled at us if we played ball by her window in the front stoop of the building. She had a point…the playground was just a few yards away. But banning kids from playing in their own yards? Let’s get real!
I just wrote the other day about how I would leave the house and play outside in the woods all day with my cousins. I’m not sure my mom ever thought twice about it. And I can’t believe that parents could be fined for letting their children play outside. That’s insane.
Jennifer´s last [type] ..Kids do the darnedest things
WTH? This makes no sense. And they wonder why the childhood obesity rate is so high.
NotJustAnotherJennifer´s last [type] ..The One Where Our 3YO Threw Up the Devil Horns At Church
Oh boy. This sounds a little too Big Brother-ish to me. And I don’t mean the entertaining summer show, either! A state banning certain games from summer camp? Craziness. And I did read about the fining of kids playing outside. You are right – where are kids supposed to go to blow off steam these days? It’s a mess, really.
Missy | The Literal Mom´s last [type] ..The Literal Truth about Money
We just moved to a cul-de-sac with lots of children, and our house backs up to a wooded area… not really the woods, but there have been copperhead snake sitings. Yikes! My son is only 5, but he’s already rolling his eyes when I call him in at night, after playing outside all day. I think it’s great because he’s getting to experience how awesome it is to be a kid.
Angie Mizzell´s last [type] ..Risks worth taking
We all have our opinions when it comes to handling our kids, and if that’s your point of view well i respect that. The thing is, i think that life is short and that we should let our kids experience how it is to be a kid. I think that we should let them experience how it feels to live in the outside world.
patty´s last [type] ..CHRISTIAN DATING SITES
This is the first time I heard about it and think it’s really weird to just even think about the fine …
kids love to play outside..and this is only enjoyable once in a lifetime….when you are young…
kurokuro26´s last [type] ..- Dating Tips for Women