You know, when I was a kid, I always liked to play outside with my boy cousin Tracy. We would ride horses, play cowboy and indians, ride the three wheeler, shoot birds and rabbits with our bb guns, and we played with cars and army men in the dirt. We always had a lot of fun playing together. We very seldom played anything inside the house. I guess you could say that I was what people call a tomboy. I did play dolls and house with my sisters, but I would much rather be playing outside with Tracy.
I watch my son and my step children now, and wonder how they can all be so different. My son is a lot like me when I was young. He would rather be playing with something outside, or looking for bugs. My step kids on the other hand would rather be sitting in their bedroom playing video games. It drives me crazy for them not to go outside. I know they would have a lot more fun playing out there. We bought a trampoline and a basketball goal to help my step sons be more active. It only helped for a little while. Again, they spend their time inside playing video games.
I know I wish I could go back to being a child and playing outside again. I have many memories of all of the fun that I use to have. The spring and summer time gets me excited because I know I will be outside taking care of the lawn and garden, and planting flowers. I am looking forward to it very soon.
I too was a tomboy growing up, and I miss it as well. I used to be able to shoot hoops better and run faster than any boy in my grade. I loved playing outside. Now that I'm older, things have changed somewhat because of all the things I have to do. But I make sure to set aside time for me and my 2 year old daughter to spend some time outside a few times a week, and everyday when the weathers nice. She loves being outside, and it excites me. We go exploring during the summer; taking walks, going to the zoos, playing at the playground. I think it's important to incorporate it into our kids lives.
ReplyDeleteBoth of my boys are into sports and riding bikes. Just anything that can be done outside, they love. I was raised to play outside too. There was always somewhere I could make into my "house". My brother was always with me. He taught me how to shoot a gun and all that fun stuff. He now has two step sons that do not like being outside. They play video games. That's their thing. My brother has them help him stack wood and things, and they don't even know how to dress to do that. They want to wear their nicest clothes. They are 13 and 14. They also do not know how to mow the yard, etc. My brother is trying to teach them a lot of things, but I told him, you can't teach someone that doesn't want to be taught. It's hard on him, but my boys would do anything to have Uncle Jared play outside with him. So, I have a taste of what you are going through. It's tough.
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