My husband and I were just talking about how different our childhood’s were compared to our three children. We were free to roam the neighborhood, calling on friends until the street lights came on. We spent our summer days riding our bikes, hanging out by creeks and swimming. Staying inside was pretty boring when you had a world of adventure waiting outside.
Our children are not free to roam the neighborhood alone because it’s a safety concern now. We still get them outside, but there are times they would much rather be inside playing video games or messing around on their phones. There’s not so much of a need to call on friends when you can just text them. It is a much different world than when we grew up in the 80’s. We are constantly fighting the amount of screen time they have now, which is something that honestly makes me sad. I crave those simpler times!
Nature Valley recently filmed a short video comparing the childhoods of parents and grandparents to the lives of their children/grandchildren today. It is a harsh reminder that we need to be doing better about how much screen time our children have, and we need to get them more active and involved in the world around them. If we don’t, is it possible that the next generation may not even feel the need to go outside?
