Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Let Kids Be Kids

This past weekend I was talking with a friend of all the fun things we used to do as a kid that kids of this generation just don't get to experience.

I remember during the winters, when we used to still get snow here in New Mexico, my dad would pull us on a sled behind his '63 Willies Jeep. We thought it was the greatest thing in the world to fly around the corners at the blazing speed of maybe 10 mph, all the while being pelted with oncoming snow. This is just something kids today don't get to experience with all of the laws and groups out there protecting kids to the point of complete isolation.

I was watching a news story the other day in which a child protection group was on a mission to make playgrounds safe for kids. They were trying to ban teeter totters, monkey bars and my favorite, swings. How sad for a kid to grow up without experiencing the thrill of pumping your legs to get you higher and higher into the air, and the sinking in the pit of your stomach when you start to make that decent toward the ground. Ill be sure not to tell the child protection groups of how my friends and I would swing on our backs and when we got high enough we would proceed to flip over backwards completing a back flip hoping we landed on our feet. It's a good thing I didn't break more ankles than I did.

It seems society is protecting kids to the point where they miss out on the fun of their childhood. Kids are no longer seen climbing trees, because their parents are worried they will fall and break an arm. Hello Parents!! They're kids...they might fall and skin their knee and even in worse case scenarios end up with a broken arm. Don't fret!! Bones heal, and we become stronger because of it!! It's true. Bones are stronger after they have healed from a break.

All I'm saying is let kids be kids. They will have enough time to be grown up and proper (or not so proper) when they become adults. The worse thing you want is for you child to look back on their younger days and wonder where all the fun times were!!

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