I have a nine year old sister. Shocking, I know. Yes, same parents, etc. And with this knowledge of a youngin' a whole generation different than myself (18 years) I have that whole, "when I was a kid thing" going even though she's not my child. And so, I'm going to moan a little while,
When I was a kid children played outside. When did this stop happening? Is it because our neighborhoods aren't "safe" enough? Or did the TV monster eat up children's desires to breathe fresh air?
When I was a kid the extended family came together. I'm sure that for many of you fortunate folks out there, your cousins, aunts, uncles, etc, are still close by. But it seems like each year people move farther away due to job opportunities, etc. With the rise in divorce it seems like kids don't get to see extended family on holidays because that's the designated 'other parent' day. It's sad. Especially with the decrease in family size. Rather than having oodles of cousins this generation has like 3.
When I was a kid I had to do chores. Crazy huh?
When I was a kid 'bored' was not in my immediate vocabulary. How can a child be bored? They have a brain like a sponge, inordinate free time, books, toys, access to the imaginary world, and board games. I understand that perhaps what a child might really mean by "I'm bored" is, "there is no one to play with me" and maybe really expressing loneliness. But I think a large part of it is their brains are trained to be constantly entertained and have lost the capacity to imagine and create themselves.
I love films, theater, & good entertainment. Don't get me wrong. But, when that becomes a substitute for creating your own fun your brain dies a little. Or at least it gets really fat & sassy & lazy.
One of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving growing up is playing oodles of board games with my cousins. Battleship, Stratego, Life, Monopoly, Jenga, etc. True, there were times we popped in Ben Hur and vegged like stuffed turkeys still able to gobble down one more helping of desert, but I remember games the most. So, I'm encouraging you this thanksgiving to bring back the Board games! Dust them off, crack them open, and get your $25 worth of play time in. :)
