Lighten Up – Let the Kids Have Fun…

I constantly think back to my childhood and remember all the fun (and sometimes dangerous) stuff my siblings and I used to do.

Such as climbing 30 ft into pine trees and leaping from tree to tree like squirrels, climbing out the second story window out to the back roof and jumping off, jumping out of the loft of our barn – it was at least 15 ft to the ground, and my favorite, going off riding my horse for hours at a time with no set direction of I wanted to go and no cell phones (we didn’t have them back then).

We would spend hours of our days going off on bike rides, playing in the neighbors ponds and streams, most times without adult supervision. Yes, we knew how to swim, but still. As I think of all these things that my mom used to do, I wonder, would I ever let my kids do that?

Now, I know that we also live in a different time and age. People don’t seem to be as well trusting, cars fly down even the most remote back roads, etc.  I would love to be able to give my kids the same freedoms and experiences I had, but as most mothers, I worry about them getting hurt.

I came across a post about a new book that I’ve added to my wish list called “Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry” and I’ve also requested a copy from the library. Because it touches on all those points I expressed above, it really stood out. When I get it in and read through it I’ll be sure to post a review here. (You can purchase it on Amazon.com if you’d like to check it out yourself.) There’s also another one I’ve got my eye on called “Fifty Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)“. I might pick this one up too. With 3 boys, I think this one could come in handy.

How about you? Any comments? Would you let your kids do some of the same crazy (yet fun) things you did as a kid? I’d like to hear your thoughts…