I've been giving a lot of thought recently to my childhood. We would spend our summers riding our bikes, maybe going to the pool, having an occasional lemonade stand.
My mom would set up the sprinkler and we would spend hours running through it, popsicles dripping down our arms. We played tag with the neighborhood kids until well past dark.
If we had a scheduled activity, it was usually a week at camp, but never longer and never lasted for an entire summer. It was a great way to spend a summer.
It wasn't perfect, and we complained of being bored, but we were often left to entertain ourselves, which can be a great thing.
Now it seems as though kids are scheduled, shuffled, dropped off and picked up constantly. Our neighborhood does not have many kids, so part of this is due in part to where we live. But there are days I want my kids to get into a bit of trouble exploring and creating fun on their own. It's a sign of the times that we supervise our children more, as safety is often a concern. Somedays it's sad. I wish for summers spent on a bike, making forts in the woods.
It's definitely hard to find that right balance! Kudos to you for recognizing and hopefully helping those little ones gain that sense of self-exploration...safely, of course!
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