My connections to Play

 “There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.”Elizabeth Lawrence

 “There must be a law against forcing children to perform at an early age. Children should have a wonderful childhood. They should not be given too much responsibility.” Maria Callas quotes (American Soprano. 1923-1977)

 Item #1: Tree
 item #2 Potomac River

Item #3 Bicycle

As I look back on the days of my childhood, my parents had always encouraged us to play outside 90 percent of time. They were always within a shout distance. There were a lot of shouting back then. There are vague memories of how teachers were involved in my play when I was a child. I am sure they were part of it, but nothing seemed important to recall. I remember all the days my sisters and I rode bicycles across the town; climbed trees; took swings to jump into potomac river during summers; went on hiking at national parks; played in creeks; explored and pursued small creatures in the farm; and playground was a special treat.
Here are pictures of me being outside (it seemed like I was always outside):
 At age 1, I played outside with my older cousins.
 At age 14, my friends and I swam in potomac river.

Past, Present, Future...
To be frank honest with you, I realized how fortunate I am to have a wonderful early childhood experience with "play." I was always given the opportunities to do strangest things children could think of. Most of the days were happy and carefree. Now I look at children of today's and I am grieving for these children. Because video games and television pretty much took up of their childhoods, it saddens me to see that they do not know how to play neighborhood games, enjoy the bikes, or even think it is fun to climb the trees. As for the future generations, I hope those of us who grew up playing outside 90 percent of times will bring that kind of play back into children's lives. When and if I become a mother, I would expect my child to play outside, ride bike, swim in the river, and learn to invent games with neighbors. I feel it is important for me to invest the true of "play" in my children and future generations. Play itself does not require speed of thoughts, expensive toys, and so forth to enjoy playing. No one has to regret  the childhood.

Just spurt of a moment thought: I realized how easy it is to expect a toddler and preschooler to enjoy play because we have this "established" expectation of children at that ages. It's harder to imagine a kindergartener, an elementary, or even older kids to play like they should. My nephew who is currently 8 year old said to me once that he never understood why his aunts (my sisters and I) and his mother (my sister) climbed trees until he tried it. He loved it. Because my nephew is part of this day's generation, he's completely addicted to video games and televisions. He does not know how to enjoy playing play creatively and without hundreds of toys. It is time for a change that brings balance.