I sound like an old woman when I say this, but, "I remember when I was a kid, we were always outside playing."
I grew up in PA Dutch Country, in a big development with lots of kids.
From sunup to sundown we were always outside. Whether it be cruising on our bikes playing "Cops and Robbers," drawing chalk houses on our driveways, "Garage-Office Chair-Volleyball," (I know that one was just me and my neighbor) or pretending we were pioneers and survivalists in the woods behind our houses.
During the school year, we had so much fun at our bus-stop and on the bus. There were around 20 of us on any given day at the bus stop. We'd run around and play before the bus came. One of us would always be on duty to watch for the bus and would yell, "BUSSSSSSSS," so we could all line up to get on.
After school, we'd go to our houses, eat a quick snack while doing our homework, and then would wait for our friends to call so we could meet up to play outside.
In the Fall, we'd jump in piles of leaves, carve pumpkins and go trick-or-treating. When Winter would come, the ENTIRE neighborhood would end up on my front lawn sledding. We'd fly down my hill going over a skateboard ramp, before skidding across the road and crashing into my neighbor's tree. (Sorry Mrs. Gould!) By Spring, we'd all be excited for the Local Township's Easter Egg Hunt. We'd also spend our afternoons rolling down my front lawn, seeing who could walk in the straightest line afterward.
All summer long, we would play outside, only going inside when our parents yelled from our porches to come to eat dinner. Immediately after eating dinner (as fast as we could), we'd run back outside. We'd make trips to the local pizza places, (shout-out to Pasquale's and MJ Smoothie's!) and would always try to be entrepreneurs with our lemonade stands. Our annual Block Party would mark the end of summer, but the fun never ceased in our development.
I'm so glad I had a childhood before kids became obsessed with electronics took over.
We had to use our imagination to entertain ourselves. Our parents didn't just hand us an iPad while we sat inside all day.
Broken sticks and berries from my front flowerbeds weren't sticks and berries. They were currency and "Banana Bum-Bums" for our outdoor club on my deck.
The rundown farm on the other side of the development was overrun with "headless chickens." (I swear, they're real!)
The mailboxes had spy cameras in them, so we'd never open each others' mailboxes. (To avoid being arrested by the FBI, of course!)
The basketball hoop in the cul-de-sac was an NBA court.
The roads were racetracks for our bikes and Razor Scooters.
My front-lawn would be filled with everyone in the neighborhood racing with sleds during the first snow.
Now, my front flower bed is overgrown. No children pick sticks or berries.
The rundown farm is simply a rundown farm.
The mailboxes only have bills and mailers in them.
The basketball hoop is a small hoop, without a net. Sitting empty waiting for someone to shoot a ball into it.
The roads are only roads. We haven't ridden our bikes (like a gang) in years.
My front-lawn has no sled tracks during the first snow. Or during any snow.
Now, our bus-stop has three kids that get on. They all sit with their parents in separate cars. They don't run around and play like we used to.
The neighborhood streets are no longer filled with kids chasing each other down with their bikes.
Parents no longer yell for their kids to come in for dinner.
The Block Party hasn't been held in years.
Some of the "original" neighbors have moved away.
The kids in our development are gone. We grew up.
Now we only see each other on breaks from school and work. Most of the interactions between my neighbors are simply a friendly wave while they're moving the lawn, walking, or passing by in the car.
Today's generation of kids won't have the same childhood experience that I did. They won't know what it's like to play outside all day. My kids (if they ever exist) will play outside with our neighbors. I want them to have the same experience that I had.
I loved my childhood and am so happy that I grew up where and when I did.
