#MomLife
When I was a child I loved to play outside. I remember playing outside with my sisters and brother for hours. Running around, riding our bikes, pretending to be Power Rangers, swimming, and camping out in the backyard. We had so much fun and some of my best memories come from those times.
Now that I am a mother, I think back to all of the fun times I had and it makes me a little sad because I realized my kids haven’t experienced that type of play, and it’s partly my fault.
Hello, my name is Steph, and I’m the mother of children who don’t know how to play outside.
My kids are 12 and 9 and they both love technology. Who doesn’t love it? Now, I don’t want this column to be a ‘technology is bad’ column because I don’t feel that way, I love technology myself. What I want it to be about is how technology has influenced the way my children play.
My son loves to play on his iPad. Honestly, that iPad has saved me at times. He plays an interactive game where he can play online with his cousins. The problem is, when they get together to have a play date instead of going outside and playing like my siblings and I used to do, they sit next to each other and play the game on their iPads. I used to get frustrated and think they were just being lazy or obsessed with the game but what I have come to realize is they don’t really know how to play outside. They don’t know how to live without WiFi.
When they get outside, they will play for a short time, running around or swimming, but shortly after they are finished, they are right back on their tablets. They get bored so quickly because I haven’t pushed them enough to explore and play and enjoy nature. They prefer to be inside on beautiful days instead of spending hours in the sun laughing and playing like I did. How do I change that? How do I get them out of their technology-based lives? How do I teach them to play outside?
Recently I have started to improve our backyard and make better play experiences. I fixed the broken trampoline, cleaned off the old swing set, hung a cool new flying saucer swing from a tree in our backyard with hopes that it will enhance their time outside. I have also pledged to make them get some sunshine every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes, I have to get them outside. I have to make some changes. I have to teach them how to play.
Now, I don’t expect this to come easy. I expect my children to struggle with their new outdoor routine. I expect them to get mad at me. But my hope is that once they start playing and exploring and becoming one with nature, they will forgive me quickly because they will start to enjoy themselves and cherish the memories they are making together. Don’t get me wrong, there will still be days where they spend way too many hours on their iPads or video games. But I hope to add in some healthy play time. Some time where we can all go outside and enjoy the sun. Make memories, love each other, and just have fun.
How did you teach your children to play outside? I’ll take any advice I can get at this point.
Now that the weather is getting nicer expect to hear more from me about our play adventures in future columns. Swimming, camping, jumping on the trampoline, reading a book in the new flying saucer swing, I have faith that we can and will make changes to our lives to do better. We will learn how to play outside eventually and once we do, maybe I’ll teach them how to play Power Rangers like my siblings and I used to do.
Steph Hightree is a hot mess mom who is fueled by stress and too much caffeine. She is a Three Rivers native who talks about the good, the bad, and well, everything else about parenthood.
Any views or opinions expressed in “#MomLife” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.
