I guess I'm showing my age . . .

[Carolina]

OH yes, Meld, it all sounds so familiar!

But we lived before TV, and radio shows only for kids were on at certain times of day, not 24/7 like now on TV,  Remember Sky King?  And Sgt Preston?

We also lived before air conditioning!   So being outdoors was better than being stuck in side, for sure.  And of course we went everywhere on our bikes.
No stranger danger fear in my era, I guess.  Anyway the biggest danger is always 'funny uncles' in your own family! 


You know, I just realized why my son and daughter-in-law spent the entire three-day weekend at either their association pool, or our association pool.  They wanted their three kids to be OUTSIDE, playing in the water, or playing board games under an umbrella, with NO TV or computers in sight.

The two boys are also on the swim team, which is lots and lots of kids swimming laps for 45 minutes straight.   Wears them out, and they practice 3 times a week.  I wondered why they joined a separate club when they could come to ours.  But since they don't live in our community they couldn't put their kids in the swim team here.

They limit TV and computers very strictly, too.    And snacks.   She also has the older boy working with a trainer to help him build muscles and confidence as he is very academic and says he 'hates' sports.   And my son runs with them each separately after dinner.

You HAVE to do this, cause kids just do not play spontaneously outside anymore it seems.   In fact they never do anything spontaneously much, just arranged 'play dates'. 

We also got to parks regularly, and toss balls.  My husband plays catch with the younger grandson, and we recently put a basketball net in our driveway, and even the kids parents like shooting a little hoop.  (I of course, alas, can't do any of that).   I do play catch in the pool with the kids, and play with the 4 year old granddaughter endlessly in the water.  I really love the water, and can still do that easily.

So now parents have to manage outdoor time, but at least they do know how important it is.

I of course just told my kids, go outside and play!

Hugs.

Elaine

[Meld256]

Yes, Elaine,  I think parents now really have to put some effort into getting kids to have outdoor activity. So good your son and daughter-in-law are doing that.  Being on a swim team is great!

With our "information age", even though there is junk on tv, there's a few good things, too, and the internet is awesome used the right way.  Just look at us here; I'd never met all you wonderful people without it! 

Kids also need time outdoors and time to just "be a kid".  Our nephew's son just turned 2, and one of his favorite phrases now is "Go ou-siiide?" He is so cute. And he has time to play and get dirty. He has one of those old red and yellow coupe toy cars, and loves either riding it or better yet, pushing it down a little hill. He pushes, then he falls on his face, bounces up, and pushes again...repeat, repeat with the face til there's dirt and grass all over him. 

[hikerknees]

Yeah since I work with kids I firmly believe they need all the outdoor stuff they can get to develop their sensory and motor systems--all that running, jumping, spinning, dodging and falling down, swinging, etc, etc, on an ongoing and repeated repeated basis.  I am not surprised people aren't comfortable with thier bodies and go on to do dangerous things like drive too fast and self-medicate.  I am forever grateful to my parents for pushing me out the door every day (well actually it was hard to keep me inside).

[Meld256]

hikerknees,

You explain that in a very good way; outdoor play is serious business so that kids develop many skills needed, and it helps them learn better, too. 
I worked as a federal food program director for a day care years ago. We had many kids who lived in apartments, their parents worked a lot, and they just didn't get out a lot.
  Sometimes new parents would be surprised when told that their children would be playing outside a portion of every day, and to dress them appropriately.  This was in Cincinnati; so if it was 95 degrees, they went out, if it was 25 degrees, they still went out.

BTW, I was able to add lots of fresh fruit and veggies to the menu, and it always amazed me that there were 3 or 4-yr-olds who had never seen or eaten things like a fresh pear, broccoli or a fresh strawberry.  One little guy told me strawberries are in ice cream; I told him this is what they look like BEFORE they go in the ice cream. He was amazed!

[hikerknees]

Yeah Melinda I remember going out to recess in even the fiercest of weather in Ohio myself!  I don't remember that all the teachers had to go out with us though like they do today--I remember when a classmate fell off the slide and broke his arm--considered back then a rite of passage, not a reason to sue the school--and it took awhile for the teacher to get there.
sue

[Meld256]

I remember some really cold recesses and some really hot ones!  Seems like I remember one teacher being out there somewhere, but no, they weren't readily available.  Oh yeah, a broken arm, a bloody lip, a scraped knee-all rites of passage. 

I took that to the extreme in h.s. track when I slid across the cinders after a fall, embedding them in my knees and elbows. My mother came to pick me up after practice and I walked out of school all bandaged and bloody.  Of course, she asked "what in the world happened to you?!"  Well, I was in a relay practice, the 3rd girl dropped the baton, I slipped on it, and skidded myself face and belly first down the track a ways. I was sore, but I was tough, so I ran in the track meet the next week. 

[Joe S.]

In Jr High I broke my arm. No tears, I just set it myself. After gym class I was sent to the nurse. My teachers noticed a marked improvement in my penmanship when I had to start writing with my left hand. The Doctor said he could not have set the arm better. That night after the cast was on I started to feel the pain. Shock can block pain.

[Meld256]

Wow, Joe, you set your own arm...    And did a good job of it, apparently! 
I always had a scrape, a cut, and bruises down my legs all summer from running, jumping and climbing. My sister said we didn't need a calendar; when Melinda starting looking banged up, we knew it was spring!  (she's sooo sweet)

I said I was tough, but maybe not entirely true.  My track coach went inside with me to bandage me up after my fall, looked at the cinder bits in my knees and said we could go to the ER and have them scrub those out.  Oh, no...my knees were already torn up, thank you.  I still have visable bits of dark cinder on my kneecaps, and little scars under my elbows.   My husband calls it my "war wounds." 

[Joe S.]

Those cinder tracks always scared me for that reason.
I was not considered that athletic. I did a lot of swimming, camping, canoeing, cutting and splitting wood in my youth. No big muscles.