The Lost Art of Childhood

Nothing speaks to me more than the sound of sprinklers on a hot summer day. I get a flash of my childhood with my mouth directly attached to the hose guzzling up the delicious taste of watery pennies. Cut to 2017 and my children are drinking organic milk and water that has been triple filtered by Brita. Since our move to Davis, I’ve relished in the notion that by living here we are giving our children exactly what my husband and I had in spades: a childhood. There are bicycle paths for miles, parks with monkey bars and twisty slides and neighbors with kids who sell lemonade on the corner. In this new age of terror and fear, I fear we are taking from our little ones what is the most important part of being a kid and that is simply-- just being a kid!

While it is tempting to worry and be overly cautious- here are opportunities I promise to give my girls.

I want them to:

Play with the neighborhood kids on a cul-de-sac… (pause for gasp) in the street!

Ride bikes (with helmets) far enough away from us that we can still hear them laughing.

Explore in the backyard by making forts, foraging for worms and getting dirty!

Be naked in the summers while dancing through sprinklers and drinking water directly from the hose.

Watch Disney movies with their little faces one inch from the screen.

Wrestle with their sibling and let them work out disputes when they can.

Every now and again be a hot, sticky, mess!

Climb on a jungle gym, while tangling up limbs and reaching new heights.

Try out for sports and learn what is means to be a good sport.

Swim in the bath tub with cousins, sisters, friends until their hands turn pruney and the water runs out.

I look forward to the ways I can help my girls grow up, but most importantly I want them to enjoy this precious time, because before they know it, it will be their turn to watch their own kids just be kids.