Kids These Days
You know…I was sitting in my office today and started thinking about how it’s like pulling teeth to get kids to go outside anymore. When I was growing up, that’s all my friends and I wanted to do. We played sports, rode bikes, built forts…you name it…we probably tried it. Don’t get me wrong…I had video games growing up and I loved them. But what has happened to kids? I talk to kids in my office about going outside and they look at me like I’m crazy! “Go Outside?” “It’s too hot.” “It’s too cold.” I’ve got boys telling me that bugs are outside so they don’t want to go out. Whining and griping like you wouldn’t believe. Two examples:
Every now and then, I take some of the kids in my school to do something on a weekend. We’ll go on a dayhike or explore a cave. I took some kids recently to Lost Valley, a simple but beautiful 2 mile hike. These were older kids ranging from 6th grade to 10th grade. There was a cave at the end with a waterfall inside. A really awesome place if you’re looking for somewhere to go. Anyways…these kids griped about everything under the sun. They griped every time they had to go up a hill. They griped every time they touched a spider web. It seemed like it was going to be a complete nightmare. They were outside, surrounded by canyons, waterfalls, and caves…and all they wanted to do was gripe and talk about how far they’ve made it on the latest video game.
Second example. In March, I went on a trip with the youth group in my church to the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina. We spent a week rafting, caving, and hiking. It was simply amazing. I got on the AT with a friend or my wife every time I got the chance. These kids loved it. One day, we were supposed to spend half a day hiking on the AT, and the other half in a cave. We could not hardly force the kids to go on a hike. They did not want to walk anywhere. And when they did walk…once again…they complained. However, it was a little easier to block them out with the beautiful views in every direction.
These trips had two things in common. The kids may have griped the entire time…but they loved the trip when it was over. They all wanted to go back next year and do the same thing. The kids I took to Lost Valley are constantly telling me that they want to go back.
In the end, I think it was worth it to get these kids outside. They may still gripe every time they’re outside…but it’s well worth it to let them see how amazing this world really is.
How can we fix this epidemic of kids that won’t go outside? Well, I think it’s probably here to stay. Should we do away with video games? Heck no, what would I do on rainy days? I think we should, as parents (well, hopefully before too long), should expose our kids to the outdoors as much as possible. Make them, force them, physically pull them away from the television if you have to and bring them outdoors. Part of the problem is that parents today use the tv and video games as a babysitter instead of getting out and spending quality time with their kids. The kids I see don’t all come from the best homes. Some of them are prime examples of what I’m talking about. But you know what I saw that a lot of people don’t see? Hope. Not hope on the child’s part…but hope on mine. When these kids, who never step foot outside except when they’re with me, got to spend a little quality time outside, they enjoyed it. They wanted to do it again. They may have griped and complained…but for mere seconds…I saw an appreciation for what they were doing. I know that there is hope, that there is a chance that our kids will love the outdoors as much as we do. Let’s do our part to help them fall in love.
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