Cake, what a great thread. Thanks again for the best OT subjects. This one brought back great memories of my childhood as well. BUT, more importantly, gave me much needed validation for the “loose” attitude I have towards my son’s outdoor activities.
From the time he was born he wanted to be outside and I always felt that it was a great place for him to be. As a toddler he loved “working,” which meant anything that required great physical activity, and helping his dad or grandfather in the yard was the most fun he ever had.
In third grade a progressive teacher allowed her science students to actually plant a garden, lol, and learn how things grew. This wasn’t news to my kid, but he loved the project and got into it. The day the manure arrived on a truck to be spread across the garden, my kid volunteered to shovel, lol, and came home complaining that the teacher made him STOP because his face got red from exertion! I had a little talk with her saying just let him drink water, no big deal. She was not swayed, lol. He was “getting too hot.” I said, “Can’t you let HIM decide if he’s too hot?” Nope. Gotta be SAFE. Good grief.
His friends marvel at his willingness to try things. At 10 his buddies set up a ramp made from a piece of rebar and bricks to try out “grinding” on their inline skates. He was the only one who would actually try it, lol. He came home with blood down both arms from the crash at the bottom. Their setup was fundamentally flawed. The end of the rebar was supported by BRICKS, lol. But he now KNOWS and WILL NOT FORGET that landing on bricks is dumb.
At 12 years old he still loves inline skating and trying new tricks in the driveway. I do require the helmet (I don?t want him DIE!) but bloody body parts are an every day occurrence. You run water over it to get the dirt out or spray on the antiseptic and he gives me that “tsssssssss” hiss through his teeth and then runs outside to do it some more. (When I was a kid it was mercurochrome, remember purple mercurochrome?) Now he’s getting into bike tricks and it’s an even rougher landing when the trick fails. Other neighborhood parents think I’m crazy, but at other times they also tell me he is the most polite and responsible kid they know. I think learning self-limitations, experiencing some pain, trying your hand at things you thought up, well, it all goes together to make a more responsible, more understanding person. He understands what taking a risk means. He doesn’t live his life in front of the TV or computer.
I am reassured that I’m allowing him to become a better person.
Lisa