Let Them Be Kids

I'm very confused by the way we raise kids today.  This new age parenting is completely lost on me.  When did it become the norm to not want our children to go outside and play?  What is so scary about letting our kids run the neighborhood like we used to as kids?  Do we watch too much CSI and Criminal Minds?Children should not be cooped up in their bedrooms on video games, an iphone, a ds, a tablet, their laptop or their xbox.  They should be outside, running, playing, climbing trees, getting in trouble, scraping their knees, playing football, rolling in the grass, skipping rope, and riding bikes!  I truly believe if we let our kids run out the front door to the neighbors house to play more "Simon Says" and less "Grand Theft Auto" our kids may be a little more willing to listen to their parents and behave.  Honestly, if you have a choice in games what would you want them to choose?  Learning to steal cars, OR learning to do what someone says?

 Don't get me wrong, I do NOT blame video games for all the trouble in the world.  Not even close.  My kids have video games.  We play on all the above mentioned things, and I have those things to thank for teaching my kids other kinds of things.  However, I believe that the real "Zombie Apocalypse" is going to be caused by overuse of these electronics. These things are seriously turning our children into zombies.  Example?  Here are my two children, or should I say zombies::

They would sit like this for hours on end if I didn't shove them out my front door to play in traffic!!  Okay, well, I'm totally kidding about the traffic.  I ALWAYS tell them to look both ways before crossing the road.  They actually LOVE playing outside though.  Once they are out there it's hard getting them back inside.  My kids have the most amazing imaginations.  While other kids are sitting in their rooms playing Angry Birds on their phones, mine are outside building the real thing.  Think I'm lying?

The owners of the house we used to rent had a huge pile of wood behind the shed that the boys had a field day with!!

Kids are AMAZING!  Their minds will go crazy with imagination if we allow it.  I would much rather have my children drag me outside to see what they built with their hands, imagination, and things they found while exploring the great outdoors, than having them yell at me from their bedroom to come see the cool character they built on some silly game using prompts that the game showed them.  

When did attachment parenting become such a trend?  When did parents quit letting their kids enjoy the outdoors, making friends with the kid across the street, riding their bikes around the block?  When did parents decide it was more beneficial to stuff them in a corner with some form of electronic device than letting them go play?  Oddly enough, it seems most of the time these are the same parents that end up confused about why their kids are depressed.  Then these kids end up diagnosed with some new fangled disease that requires the child to be medicated and eventually worse off.  I trust enough in my parenting skills to believe that my children are aware of their surroundings.  They know "stranger danger", they know not to go inside homes of people we don't know.  My children are not stupid.  I allow my kids to have some freedom because I want them to be confident, smart, have social skills, an imagination, and a sense of self worth.  I want them to run, and jump, and play!  I want them to climb trees, get dirty, and make friends.  I want them to learn athletic skills, and get exercise.  I want them to take in the fresh air, and the sunlight, and jump in puddles, spin around in the rain, and build snowmen.  I want them to fight, and get mad, and learn to solve those problems.  

I WANT MY KIDS TO BE KIDS!!

I WANT MY KIDS TO EXPERIENCE LIFE!!

I'm sure a lot of you are probably thinking, "well where will she be? Is she worried about her kids getting kidnapper?  Is she sending them outside to avoid having to deal with them?"  

Yes, I am worried about them being kidnapped but I am more worried about them not getting a chance to enjoy life as a child.

Yes, there are times when I am sending them outside to avoid dealing with them.  Fighting indoor kids are much louder than fight outdoor kids!  

Where will I be while they are running and playing outside?  I will be making their snacks, checking homework, folding laundry, doing dishes, and peeking out of my windows at them, smiling and rejoicing in the thought that they are happy, healthy, fun, loving, and well adjusted children.