Where the Wild Things Are
The summers of our youth are filled with memories of road trips, camping, playing in the rivers and lakes, spending all day outside with friends, bar-b-queing with family, the list goes on. It seems now that kids’ summers can be so scheduled that there isn’t much time for what makes summer…summer! There’s a certain kind of learning that is often expected during the school year, but freedom from schedules offers a different, real-world kind of learning.
If we want our kids to discover first-hand what they’re capable of, we should allow them to run a little wild. The best place to learn about natural consequences is in nature. Sure, they’ll bump up against the edges of what feels safe and comfortable - both for us and for them - and they’ll likely get hurt along the way. Another thing that will happen along the way, though, is that they’ll learn where their boundaries are and the wisdom to understand which risks are worth taking in the name of adventure and curiosity. In The Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv asks us, “What happens when all the parts of childhood are soldered down, when the young no longer have the time or space to play in their family’s garden, cycle home in the dark with the stars and moon illuminating their route, walk down through the woods to the river, lie on their backs on hot July days in the long grass, or watch cockleburs, lit by morning sun, like bumblebees quivering on harp wires? What then?” (Louv 97)
Oftentimes, we get so busy offering our kids “opportunities” that they miss out on being children. Whether it’s back-country camping, playing baseball at dusk in the local park, floating on the nearest lake, or just riding bikes around the neighborhood, let’s support them in their play - it’s where some of the best learning happens and favorite memories are made. As a parent, ask yourself the question, “Are you confident the end goal we’re asking our children to submit their formative years to is substantially contributing to their ability to experience life to the fullest? To help them find meaning, and purpose, and satisfaction? To build them up, and prepare them for an adult life in which they’ll thrive?” (Butson, 2022, 11:23) And then get out there with them and enjoy the sunshine while it’s here!
Have a joy-filled summer!
Your Candle Buddies,
Ashley & Jessica
Works Cited
Butson, Issy. “Your Child is Falling Behind.” The Life Without School Podcast, Season 1, Episode 22, Stark Raving Dad, 22 June 2022. https://starkravingdadblog.com/life-without-school-podcast/your-child-is-falling-behind/
Louv, Richard. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Revised and Updated Edition, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, March 2008.