Photo by Jessica To’oto’o on Unsplash
Many families focus on having a well-manicured yard. Some dads spend hours fertilizing and mowing the lawn. Many mothers love to work in the flower beds. A well-manicured yard is the expectation for many nice sub-divisions. Last year, I was at an elite country club surrounded by a private housing community. The yards looked incredible. Most places had some type of outdoor entertainment area. There were porches, swimming pools, fire pits, patio furniture, and nice grills. Yet, only a few were outside enjoying the wonderful evening.
In America, we have well-manicured yards that look good, but our kids are angry, stressed, and disconnected from the family. A recent report said kids under 9 spend an average of 2 hours a day on a screen. The numbers just continue to sail up with age too! Many families leave the TV on all the time. Kids have their own device and spend hours playing them inside.¹ The yards look real nice because no kids are messing them up!
Another study found that children today spend half as much time outside as their parents did when they were growing up.² It used to be thought that kids loved being outside, not anymore. Today’s kids love being inside and on a screen.
This is why I care very little about a well-manicured yard. I want a well-worn yard! I believe kids in America would be tremendously different in their anxiety, physical and social development, and happiness if all of our well-manicured yards were turned into well-worn yards!
Determine to get your kids outside (it may require you making them go outside). Buy them a wiffle-ball and bat. Throw catch with your son or play a game of football. Let a trampoline kill the grass below it. Let a slip-in-slide create a mud-hole. Let all the dirt be eaten away from under the swings. Let your yard be the neighborhood hangout. Get the kids a dog, which will do all kinds of “nice” things to your yard! Don’t worry if the grass is destroyed or the flowers are stepped on! You are growing kids, which is far more important than grass and flowers. The yard is a great place for family fun too. Get your whole family involved in some game or activity.
How is your yard? Is it cluttered with kid toys, treaded down heavily in spots, and generally worn out? Then you are doing good! There will be plenty of time for a well-manicured yard, but right now you are raising kids.
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¹ – https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/19/health/children-smartphone-tablet-use-report/index.html
² – https://www.childinthecity.org/2018/01/15/children-spend-half-the-time-playing-outside-in-comparison-to-their-parents/
