Outdoor Play Time

When we moved to our new small town home, there were many things I had to grow accustomed to, and many new ways of doing things. While in some ways it felt like going back in time, I've now grown to appreciate that time warp.

My kids have always played outside, of course, but always for a metered amount of time. That time was often based on how long "I" wanted to stand out there with them. Here, it's a whole new ballgame.

I realized over the weekend that my kids are outside playing with friends for most of the entire day. They get up, eat breakfast, throw on clothes and are gone. Yesterday, being Father's Day, we took a stroll with the pup along the waterfront. We stopped to play on a jungle gym for awhile too. Once home, we ate a quick lunch, and back out they went. They had already been out in the morning with their friends, as well.

They biked, skipped, did skip-it. They played in a plastic pool full of water with their Barbie's. My eldest practiced on her new skateboard.(okay, I admit, so did I!) They were literally outside from 10am to 5pm, with stops inside to use the bathroom, grab a toy, or a snack.

After dinner and baths and books, they both zonked out immediately. Is it any wonder???

Here, they have much more freedom than they did back home. I don't know if that's their ages now, being older, or that small town life has adopted us to it's ways. Kids here remind me of when I was growing up. You told your parents where you were going, and then you were gone.

I love that my girls are enjoying being outside, using their imaginations to create new fun, and getting lots of exercise and fresh air. I'm probably getting more than I did back when, as well. Though, I do have to admit that our old neighbourhood, at one time, was pretty darn fantastic for this in it's heyday. I never thought I'd be able to replicate that, but here, we have. Parents are out on lawn chairs chatting for hours, while kids play all around.

I hope wherever we find ourselves next, we are just as lucky in neighbourhood choice and outdoor freedoms. I know we'd all hate to give that up when we've come to enjoy it so.