Kids & Screens

I was an outdoorsy kid.

We biked all over our New England town. We climbed up and sunned ourselves on the granite boulders left behind in the quarries. We tobogganed in winter and sailed in the summer.

I only watched television at night (choosing among the five channels we could get) after it was too dark or too cold to stay outside. But, my grandchildren would spend every free minute with their faces in a screen if their parents let them.

Many of today’s childhood freedoms have been curtailed for very legitimate safety reasons. We’re smarter now about keeping better tabs on our children. Some of those freedoms are limited by geography as our towns have become more congested. But, sometimes, staying inside to play a new video game just seems sad to me.

Screens serve many useful purposes – education, making travel easier, widening the world beyond our hometowns. They are also very addictive – for adults as well as kids. I’m thrilled that our children limit screen and television time for their kids; that good weather means it’s time to play in the yard or take a family hike; that neighborhood activities still involve forts and building castles.

Get outside. Take your grandchildren with you. There’s always a new park, a new nature center, a new art fair to explore. Put down your own computer and set a screen-less example for them. There will be plenty of time for video games on rainy days.