My husband’s favourite memory is playing with his trucks and cars in the dirt. He used to make mines and roads and spend hours in this richly imaginative play. It’s interesting to note that my husband is now a heavy diesel mechanic. Play is a child’s work and it’s through play that a child interprets the world and works out where he or she fits within it. My husband also enjoyed diving and swimming in the local rivers with friends and spending every second weekend at his dad’s place beside the beach. We can all recall our childhood affinity and connection with nature. It felt so great connecting with the simpler things in life. Depression rates were lower, prescriptions to ADHD and depression medications were limited. There was a greater understanding of children who were ‘Huckleberry Finns’ – they were seen as children who thrived on being busy outdoors rather than being regarded as a problem to ‘fix’.
Nature time has been replaced with screen time – TV, computers, cell phones, texting, social media, PSP’s, PS1, 2 and 3 and many others! I am by no means anti-technology, but as parents there is a need for us to become more aware of how we enabling or disabling our children’s connection with the planet.
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