That’s dangerous!

Yesterday as we were walking home from school a youngster energetically bounded up a 5 foot hill on the playground.  The mother shouted, “that’s dangerous!”

A hill?  Since when does a hill become dangerous?

The next sentence was, “you’ll get your pants dirty.”

Yes, I know clothes cost money and stains can be hard to get out (my boys proceeded to slide down the very same brown and white speckled hill on their butts),  but saying a hill is dangerous and clean pants are important?

The value was just placed on material.  Cleanliness was just valued in over exploration, exercise, and movement.

Down the road we then wonder why kids/adults are going into debt to buy things and they are not happy.  Short term, it seems reasonable to keep clothes clean, but as parents are we thinking long term?

How many times have you told your kidsto keep that clean or, “ugh! now I have to wash that”?

How many times have you encouraged your child to go climb a hill?

If we disconnect kids from that which they are (natural beings) and replace it with a value on material things we are setting them up for an empty life.

Last night I was reading Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv.  I could not put it down, even when my eyes became blurry around midnight.

I encourage you to find Last Child in the Woods at your local library, or better yet, take your child outside today and let them get dirty!

Have fun!

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About The Author

Summer Brackhan

Mom, sociologist, teacher, author, musician, world traveler, parenting and health coach who believes healthy living incorporates body, mind and soul and that life is not about living in little boxes, but experiencing everything at its fullest.

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