Week 3 - Play Outside With Them

Do you remember your childhood years? Summer days were spent swimming at the public pool (or your backyard if you were “cool” enough to own your own pool). Bike rides with friends were a great way to dry off afterwards.

Fall brought falling leaves that provided just enough cushion when you fell into them. I remember my grandpa raking the yard and getting all the leaves into one big heap. Then here came little Adrienne, jumping right into that pile and spreading them everywhere. Grandpa shot me a look and then he smiled. He knew I was just a kid…and he was okay with that. 

Winter was a time of attempting to build snowmen. I say “attempt” because no matter how hard I tried, I could never roll a ball of snow. I really do not know how people used to do that, or still do. My snowmen were always lumps of snow piled on top of each other.

Really not a pretty sight.

Finally, spring came, filling our yard with lots of flowers and dandelions. I remember running through them all, pretending that I was a princess. Oh how those days bring back fond memories of my childhood.

If only I could be a kid again.

Oh but I can! You see, now that I am an adult, I have children of my own. My boys are 9 and 6 and VERY active. J They love to run, jump, climb trees, ride bikes, and much more! As their Mom, it is my job to encourage physical activity. With childhood obesity on the rise, being active is not just a preference; it’s a requirement. 

Sadly, a lot of children are being raised to believe that the only way they can “play” is with video games. I have seen children as young as 4 years old have an x-box, playstation, and Nintendo DS. They spent most of their days playing games all day long, only stopping to eat and use the bathroom. Then we as parents wonder why our kids aren’t active, and why they are suddenly gaining more weight than they should. 

Now I know I may offend some readers, and that is not my intention. I merely want to point out that this is a serious problem in America, one that needs dealt with NOW.

We need to be encouraging our children to go outside, even if that means we have to return the electronics to the store. Yes, you read that right. RETURN them. Sell them, do something! When I was a kid, I had to use my imagination outside in nature, often using sticks, leaves, and rocks to entertain me. And you know what? I WAS OKAY WITH THAT! And here’s a shocker: I’m still alive.  I didn’t die because I didn’t have the newest, most awesomest game that ALL my friends had. I lived through it, played outside, and now I can teach my boys to do the same. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I do buy them little toy swords, and they have a whole collection of legos, but they are very active outside. The legos are mainly for those days where we absolutely cannot get outside, or when we just need some quiet time. 

As parents, it is up to us to raise our kids to know the value of staying active and living a healthy lifestyle. Our children should be active at least one hour a day, but we should strive for more. By teaching them at a young age, they will have a better chance of sticking with it as they get older, and even teaching their own children the value of play.

This week:

Play outside with your children a few days this week. Bundle up and go build a snowman, or fort, or igloo. Go for a walk and talk about the beauty of nature that God created. Make snow angels. Have a snowball fight. It doesn’t matter what you do, just be ACTIVE.  

Blessed By Him, 

Adrienne