My two older daughters went on a short outing today around town. Since the town we live in is so small, you could probably ride your bike around the entire thing in about an hour, or less, I sent them off without parental supervision. I gave them a few bucks to get a scoop of ice cream at LindeBee's . A few bucks was worth the couple of hours of quiet I got (no TV, no arguing) by getting them out of the house.
Abby rode her long board, and Elysse rode her new bike. A lot of parents in our neighborhood seem paranoid to let their children wander much further than the immediate circle of our block, but not me. I encourage them to get out and explore. Like I said, the town we live in is tiny, and I think it's good for kids to get out there and learn the short-cuts and back alleys of the place they reside. You might think I'd be one of those paranoid parents, seeing as how the two older girls have never lived anywhere but on a guarded and gated Air Force Base, but honestly, I'm not too concerned.
A good friend of Abby's was initially not allowed to come over to our house after school because her Mom didn't "trust" the town of Medical Lake. Her family lives about 10 minutes away, on base. Although she attends school here in town (high school!), her Mom never bothered to come down here and drive around a bit to get to know the place. If she had, she'd have seen that the town is so quiet, the most action we see on a given day is the rumble of a freight train passing on the tracks at the edge of the city. The loudest inhabitants are the cows and the teenagers, but honestly, the big thing to do for the teenage crowd around here is to hang out at the Young Life meeting over at our church. They're all there!
So, I visited this reluctant Mom, and told her the town was really not anything to be concerned about, and she relented. I mean, I can't promise that HER kid will make all the right choices when she's here (there is that ever-present group of "bad kids" hanging out across from the skate park - gasp! - smoking cigarettes!!), but I can assure her that there is a heck of a lot LESS to worry about in the rural streets of Medical Lake.
Some of my fondest memories from growing up in small towns in central PA was the freedom I felt riding my bike. In Lewistown, I'd ride up to my best friend, Becca Conklin's house, and we'd take off for the day. We'd ride to Rec Park to play at the playground. We'd ride downtown to get a slice of pizza at the Original. We'd ride over to the Middle School to play hide and seek among the shady trees.
When I was older, and we moved to Linglestown, none of my good friends lived in my neighborhood. We would choose a meeting spot, usually on a corner in a neighborhood somewhere between their house and mine, and we'd hop on our ten-speeds and hook up. My parents never worried about me on these long days of exploration. I just recall my Mom giving me a time to be home (for supper) and that was that. This was surely before the days of constant cell phone communication, and if I needed to reach her, I'd better hope I had a quarter in my pocket to use the pay phone at the Turkey Hill. But I never needed to call. I was having too much fun.
I want the same thing for my own kids. I feel happy that we found a town where I feel safe. They can take a quick trip down the hill to the Conoco gas station for a soda or some M & M's. They can go a bit further, and swing by the skate park or LindeBee's. They can follow one of the paved jogging paths over by the lake, and look for deer. There is no shortage of wildlife to be seen here. Also, with the lake within less than one mile from our house, maybe someday they'll go the route of Huck Finn and grab some fishing poles and head down to cast their lines in the clear water.
That last one might be wishful thinking, as Abby is about as much of a sport-fisherman as Brittany Spears is a starting quarterback. But until she gets her drivers license (only one more year, yipes!), she's stuck with the low-key, town-bound activities she can reach by skateboard.
Anyway, today was bright and sunny. Washington has finally seen fit to warm up above 70 degrees, and I wanted the two girls to get out and breathe some fresh air. I hope someday they will look back on their time in this town with the same nostalgia I feel for my days of bike riding adventures. I hope they find a short cut to the park, and a cool and shady spot to relax on the grass and look up a the clouds floating above their heads.
Kids today need that stuff. This is a good link if you want to read it. Break away from the magnetic pull of television, computers, video games, and the caves they create inside their air-conditioned houses. They need to get out there and play. I will continue to encourage, and sometimes, threaten my kids to get them outside. And I hope someday they will thank me for it. Or at least for the ice cream I bribed them with.
No comments:
Post a Comment