I always believed a daily dose of the outdoors was important in raising my children. Rain or shine, I made my boys venture outside. I deliberately made a point of embracing the rain with them and encouraging them to play in the mud and dirt. I didn't squirm when we saw a snake or a spider. We explored nature without fear, knowing that fear came from me as their guide, and my reactions were forming their opinion to life outside.
But as my boys got busier, and our business as box owners got crazier, I found that it was easy to fall into the electronic babysitter form of parenting. Its not really what I wanted for my boys but the selfish me enjoyed having some time of peace and quiet while they became temporary mindless vegetables. No, this wasn't something I allowed 8 hours a day, and yes we still played outside, but it wasn't until the last few months that my desire for outdoor play and freedom to tumble, wrestle and explore became a passion more than a desire.
So in rolled the above mentioned homeschool family with kids in CrossFit ages 5-14. What I observed of their behavior was nothing short of impressive. Nearly every child could climb the rope without assistance and some even legless. The 5 year old can pump out strict handstand push-ups, as well as his older brothers, without ever being taught how. And pretty much across the board, they all could do unassisted strict pull-ups on their first day of class.
These weren't kids with previous sports experience. They weren't started in sports at the age of 3, they weren't given every outdoor toy to entertain them. But they were given a yard full of trees and a God-given brain to create their own playtime. They would and continue to spend their summer climbing trees. Which led me to the next train of thought about the famous climber Tori Allen. She grew up climbing trees with monkeys and her body grew to have longer arms and fingers with incredible grip strength to match her desire to climb trees. Sounds crazy, but our body adapts to the forces put upon it. Most people wouldn't argue that Tori's childhood of climbing and swinging from trees gave her the foundation to be a famous rock climber today. So after hearing stories such as Tori's and observing these climbing and outdoor home schooled kids excelling at high skill movements without any training, my whole perspective changed:
* When I see my child climbing my trellis to the roof line- I see a kid learning not to be scared of heights.
*When I see my child rolling down a hill- I no longer see another load of laundry (although am pretty sure we could make a successful TIDE commercial), I see a child developing vestibular stimulus. (Read more about why that is important here and here)
*When I see my child hanging from branches - I don't see scratches, I see them developing muscle strength and grip strength
*When I see my child jumping off of objects- I don't see an injury (although it crosses my mind), I see a child increasing bone density.
*When I see my child climbing through the middle of a rotten log, I don't see ripped pants, I see confidence to take on something new.
*When I see my child climbing a 30 foot steep hill full of slippery mud, I don't see another change of clothes or spider webs in their hair, I see a child learning coordination and agility.
*When I see my child walking across the top of a 4 foot fence, I don't see a child who may fall, I see a child who is learning to balance so that he won't fall.
*When my child asks to go wading in a small creek fully clothed in 60 degree weather, I don't see the crying tantrum that is about to ensue from their cold bodies after they fall in, I see kids willing to take a risk and live with the consequences.
*When I see my 3 year old trying to pour his own juice, I don't see the mess that most definitely WILL occur, I see a child learning body control and motor skills (and the responsibility to clean up after himself after it ends up on the floor).
*When my boys are taking a bath, I ask them to wash each other's hair knowing full well they don't really get clean, but desiring for them to learn to take care of each other.
I am starting to see things in a new light. Not as an irresponsible parent that is willing to let her kids get hurt, but as a parent who knows that bone density, vestibular stimulation, agility, balance, coordination and strength and problem solving, are found in the ability to let children be children without us as parents always trying to control the holes in their pants, the mess in our laundry room, the tantrums, the scratches, the bruises, and the critters. Often the lessons they need to learn the most are learned when we allow such things. (disclaimer: having boys increases the chances of such behavior as you can read more about by this blogger.)
I now not only desire, but am passionate about my kids growing up to be athletic by "nature" (pun intended).
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Disclaimer: I am no scientist, I am only a mom and a coach observing kids every day: kids from ages 6-16 in our CrossFit classes and 2 boisterous boys of my own and making a not-so-surprising observation that outdoor play, rain or shine, builds healthier kids who have balance, agility, coordination, strength, and confidence.
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