I watched my two boys in the garden this weekend. The teenager was stoking a fire with a large stick and I’ve rarely seen him more contented; he has a real flair for arson. The wee one was digging. Not for any specific purpose, just digging random holes in the mud with a full size garden fork, irritating his angry teenage brother with spectacular success, who was momentarily distracted from his attempts to set fire to the hen coop as his flames licked the hinges. Both were acquiring ever-increasing clods of platform-sole earth on the bottom of their inappropriate footwear. Like I say, contented.
It made me think about that wonderfully ‘free’ feeling of ‘playing out’, when the wind burns your face but you just don’t care, or the hot summer sun forces you to take shelter under a makeshift tent of sheets. Sure, we all care about the dirt being walked in to the house, and the potential for an unwanted afternoon in A&E, but there are some days when we just have to let it be.
As a child, my tom-boyism knew no boundaries. My memories of the times of childhood are littered with scenes in the great outdoors. Here are the things I remember most….
Roller skating (there’s a story in there somewhere)
Brook jumping, or jumping into water of any kind whatsoever
Climbing trees, scraping knees
Jelly sandals and ‘bumper’ shoes (like Converse but MUCH less cool)
Cat’s cradling
French skipping with knicker elastic
Playing cowboys and Indians, and losing heavily to a bigger brother
Conker fights, and losing heavily to a bigger brother
Balls against the side of the house – bouncy or otherwise, bat or no bat. There was shouting.
Space hoppers (usually someone else’s as we weren’t allowed)
Deckchairs, of the brightest 70′s patterns (and fringing), foldable and eminently tearable….
What are your memories of those heady days of Playing Out?
Do your kids stay in too much, or are they free spirited? Do they enjoy the same kind of games and adventures that you did as a child? Do you let them?
