Kids Must Live a Little

Have you heard about this new concept of a “risky” playground?  If not, check out this video.

I find it both interesting and sad at the same time. Interesting because it seems people are finally starting to wake up and realize the quality of life in our society has been declining in more ways than one. Things that seem relatively minor in the whole scheme of things, such as overprotecting, constantly entertaining, and thinking for our children, are bad. Parents are supposed to provide a solid foundation for their children, not hand-feed and guide them every single little step of the way into young adulthood.

We learn through failure. If kids aren’t allowed to fail, they’ll never grow into well-rounded adults. People may scoff at so-called “free range” parents, but I would rather see parents easing their children into independence than hovering and over-protecting them. It’s really ironic that it’s the helicopter parents who also let their kids run amuck, doing what they want, when they want, with little or any consequences.

I’ll get off the soapbox now. Maybe this “new” concept of allowing kids to learn for themselves is a sign of hope for society? Perhaps. I know one thing, I’m glad I’m not raising young kids in this day and age.

Thankfully, our children are all grown. Getting them all together is a rare treat. I think we did a pretty good job raising them. They all turned into pretty nice, interesting, independent people. They get along well, too, on the rare occasions that they’re all together.

Speaking of getting along, or not… I have been meaning to share this picture with y’all for AGES. It took me forever to actually stop and take the picture, then it sort of got lost amidst the other clutter on my phone.

It’s not terribly far west of us in what I think is Culpeper County. We refer to it as the house with the “spite wall.”

You can only see one of the houses in that photo. The other is on the right-hand side of the wall, not far at all from that unsightly divider. The wall looks like it’s been there for quite some time. I imagine there’s an interesting story or two behind THAT one.