Joan Didion once said, “I don’t know what I think until I read what I write.” I feel the same way. Turns out… I’m pretty passionate about outdoor time. Dear reader, thank you for putting up with all those articles. Here is one more.
Since moving to Old Town, I have made a point to walk as much as I can. This means schlepping with three kids, the dog (and sometimes the cat follows!?) to the store, to school and the trail. I take the kids to Blockhouse Hill to sled, and the playground near Town Hall is to burn off before-dinner steam. And usually, unless I text a friend to meet up, we don’t run into any other families or kids. I always think to myself, “Where is everybody?”
So in my last column — and let me tell you, I have been paralysed by the idea of what to write in this important last issue — I kept coming back to this same idea of outside time. I wonder if you would consider cancelling that weekend lesson that keeps you in the car, spending money decorating your yard instead of your living room, giving your kids a radius where they are free to explore and letting them go knock on a friend’s door to play. The key is, we need to be home more to answer the knock. It’s the only way we can make the real world more fascinating than the PlayStation or TV inside. I fully admit I am far from perfect, and this is a goal of my own this year.
Let’s make this town a Playborhood (the book by the same name is very good). Wouldn’t it be so amazing to see bands of kids roving the streets again, bikes scattered on lawns, friendly neighbours keeping an eye out? The real world isn’t as dangerous as we have been led to believe, and your kid is more than capable of handling independence. (As a counsellor, I would argue this is crucial to building resilience and beating anxiety.)
“Go play outside” sounds incredibly boring if kids are being sent to wander empty streets or knock at empty houses. We need to be able to find each other, or better yet, bump into each other.
Thanks for reading this column. It has been such a privilege to have had my ideas join you at the cafe, the kitchen table or picnic bench the last few years.
I can’t wait to bump into you in real life.
