Playtime

I hear that today's kids need more playtime and I agree. Too many of our kids have schedules tighter than most businesses and rarely get outside unless it is an organized sport. We need to shut off the tv, computer, iPod, and send the little rugrats out to play. Fresh air and games like kick the can, red rover red rover, red light - green light.

When I was a kid, we had a radio. But no one listened to it except my mother and usually when we were not home. We used to go outside to play after dinner until it was time to get ready for bed. There was no way we'd stay in the house unless we were in trouble. Besides, to stay in the house meant you'd probably get in trouble for being too noisy. On the weekends we could usually get enough kids to play baseball in the field across the street. Average families back then were 4.7 kids.

If we got too hot or sweating, we'd plop down on the ground and just talk. Kids just being kids. We didn't worry about perverts or murderers or other scary stuff. It happened, we just didn't hear about it - parents would whisper to other parents and everyone would keep an eye out, but we were not paranoid. While our parents were in the house glad that we were all outside, today the parents need to put their lives on hold and go outside and sit and watch the kids be kids.