Life of Pride
Friday, February 17, 2006
PINKY: "What are we going to do tonight, Brain?"
BRAIN: "Well, I don't know, Pinky. We could take over the world, but we do that every night. It's Friday. We deserve an evening off. Let's go to a movie."
PINKY: *spork*
The sane me laughs internally at the strange me. The strange me is too happy to care. It is sunny outside. I think I'm going to go see Eight Below this evening. Meanwhile, I am reading Teach Your Own, by John Holt. This is the book in which he encourages people to homeschool instead of continuing to try to find a school that will fit their children. It is an extremely essential early book of the movement, which is how I justify reading almost the whole thing. So much of it is true that it rouses long-held indignation in my heart against public schooling and against the whole experience of being a child in America in these days. No doubt it is different out West, where there aren't enough people to eavesdrop constantly on what you're doing. But here in suburbia, who knows what child abusers are living among us? Kids can't play outdoors any more without supervision. They can't walk to the convenience store five minutes down the sidewalk without police officers stopping them to find out if they're all right (I know this from experience), and taking them back home. In my family, my older brothers and I played pirates and adventurers all over our jungle gym, without adult supervision. Such supervision would, I am quite sure, have spoiled our fun. We had a huge sandbox, in which we could pile all the sand together and create a small mountain. In this mountain, we could dig caves and tunnels. Our clothespin characters could live in these caves and tunnels. It was a secret island, and they were searching for treasure. We planted our own gardens, let them grow unweeded, and happily plucked whatever vegetables survived. We nailed together a contraption made from the seat and back of an old chair and a few boards, added wheels, and rolled ourselves on it down the sidewalk on the hill in front of our house. My brother took it down a really steep hill in another part of the neighborhood and skinned his entire forearm, but that was just part of the interest of the thing. We set up tents in the backyard and stayed out overnight, waking up to the indescribable loveliness of an early summer morning at 6am with damp, cool air and nobody else awake.
Then our jungle gym became too rickety. A couple years ago, while I was away at college, my parents finally took it down. Now there's nothing to do in our backyard. There's trees and grass, and that's all. Even the gardens are gone. Our backyard is just the same as everyone else's, only minus the swimming pool - boring. This makes me sad. Even back when we used to run and play, the neighborhood kids thought we were weird. I sure didn't care. They were missing out.
They still are. Oh, it makes me sad!
Really, though, I am happy. The book fascinates me. When I have kids, anyway, I guarantee that they will spend a lot of time outdoors!
BRAIN: "Well, I don't know, Pinky. We could take over the world, but we do that every night. It's Friday. We deserve an evening off. Let's go to a movie."
PINKY: *spork*
The sane me laughs internally at the strange me. The strange me is too happy to care. It is sunny outside. I think I'm going to go see Eight Below this evening. Meanwhile, I am reading Teach Your Own, by John Holt. This is the book in which he encourages people to homeschool instead of continuing to try to find a school that will fit their children. It is an extremely essential early book of the movement, which is how I justify reading almost the whole thing. So much of it is true that it rouses long-held indignation in my heart against public schooling and against the whole experience of being a child in America in these days. No doubt it is different out West, where there aren't enough people to eavesdrop constantly on what you're doing. But here in suburbia, who knows what child abusers are living among us? Kids can't play outdoors any more without supervision. They can't walk to the convenience store five minutes down the sidewalk without police officers stopping them to find out if they're all right (I know this from experience), and taking them back home. In my family, my older brothers and I played pirates and adventurers all over our jungle gym, without adult supervision. Such supervision would, I am quite sure, have spoiled our fun. We had a huge sandbox, in which we could pile all the sand together and create a small mountain. In this mountain, we could dig caves and tunnels. Our clothespin characters could live in these caves and tunnels. It was a secret island, and they were searching for treasure. We planted our own gardens, let them grow unweeded, and happily plucked whatever vegetables survived. We nailed together a contraption made from the seat and back of an old chair and a few boards, added wheels, and rolled ourselves on it down the sidewalk on the hill in front of our house. My brother took it down a really steep hill in another part of the neighborhood and skinned his entire forearm, but that was just part of the interest of the thing. We set up tents in the backyard and stayed out overnight, waking up to the indescribable loveliness of an early summer morning at 6am with damp, cool air and nobody else awake.
Then our jungle gym became too rickety. A couple years ago, while I was away at college, my parents finally took it down. Now there's nothing to do in our backyard. There's trees and grass, and that's all. Even the gardens are gone. Our backyard is just the same as everyone else's, only minus the swimming pool - boring. This makes me sad. Even back when we used to run and play, the neighborhood kids thought we were weird. I sure didn't care. They were missing out.
They still are. Oh, it makes me sad!
Really, though, I am happy. The book fascinates me. When I have kids, anyway, I guarantee that they will spend a lot of time outdoors!
Comments:
Taking over the world is always a good option if you have nothing better to do... :-D
"...that it rouses long-held indignation in my heart against public schooling and against the whole experience of being a child in America in these days."
It goes beyond just the public schools. There's an entire element of family that society seems to be losing... The kids who are missing out on their childhood (Whether from public-school, or whatever) are creating an entire generation of people who are, for lack of a better term, backward.
By which I mean, in my opinion, a healthy adult is more mature and able to cope with responsibility, but at the same time, has no problem cutting loose and enjoying some good, clean fun once in a while. ( Just like your little PINKY/BRAIN conv. ;-) )
The people our society is breeding are matured to a sterile point in which the responsibilities of adulthood are forced upon them before they even learn how to be kids, thus leaving them in the ugly position of being mature without being grown-up. (Again, I'm stuck for lack of better terms. Hmm. I don't think I'm making my point very well... Do you get an idea of what I'm trying to say?)
"No doubt it is different out West..."
Pfft - The only difference is that there's more wide-open space out there, so it's slightly easier to get a rural setting setting if you want to But, with the way people naturally congregate, it really doesn't make too much difference. It all depends on where you live (Specifically, not generally) and who your neighbors are.
"...that it rouses long-held indignation in my heart against public schooling and against the whole experience of being a child in America in these days."
It goes beyond just the public schools. There's an entire element of family that society seems to be losing... The kids who are missing out on their childhood (Whether from public-school, or whatever) are creating an entire generation of people who are, for lack of a better term, backward.
By which I mean, in my opinion, a healthy adult is more mature and able to cope with responsibility, but at the same time, has no problem cutting loose and enjoying some good, clean fun once in a while. ( Just like your little PINKY/BRAIN conv. ;-) )
The people our society is breeding are matured to a sterile point in which the responsibilities of adulthood are forced upon them before they even learn how to be kids, thus leaving them in the ugly position of being mature without being grown-up. (Again, I'm stuck for lack of better terms. Hmm. I don't think I'm making my point very well... Do you get an idea of what I'm trying to say?)
"No doubt it is different out West..."
Pfft - The only difference is that there's more wide-open space out there, so it's slightly easier to get a rural setting setting if you want to But, with the way people naturally congregate, it really doesn't make too much difference. It all depends on where you live (Specifically, not generally) and who your neighbors are.
# posted by 
: 5:30 PM
: 5:30 PM
Hrm, imagination, (or today's child's lack thereof) that's I was looking for...
Whatever happened to a the pile of large boxes becoming the Cuevas del Diablo, or the bunkbeds that were the ships of pirates, or loft that was a castle...?! My eyes literally sparkle just thinking about it.
Yes, kids and adults these days have no clue how to use thier imagination. And I think there's a lot of reasons why; everything is spoon-fed to kids these days. Television, video games, theme parks - there's no room left to come up with things themselves. I'm not even going to start ranting about what the lack of book-reading is doing to our kids.
And then too, even some people who once had great imaginations let them site by the wayside, and don't pass them on to the next generation... Why, even yours looks just a little rusty: Now there's nothing to do in our backyard. There's trees and grass, and that's all... Our backyard is just the same as everyone else's... You should go spend some time with Christy. ;-)
Whatever happened to a the pile of large boxes becoming the Cuevas del Diablo, or the bunkbeds that were the ships of pirates, or loft that was a castle...?! My eyes literally sparkle just thinking about it.
Yes, kids and adults these days have no clue how to use thier imagination. And I think there's a lot of reasons why; everything is spoon-fed to kids these days. Television, video games, theme parks - there's no room left to come up with things themselves. I'm not even going to start ranting about what the lack of book-reading is doing to our kids.
And then too, even some people who once had great imaginations let them site by the wayside, and don't pass them on to the next generation... Why, even yours looks just a little rusty: Now there's nothing to do in our backyard. There's trees and grass, and that's all... Our backyard is just the same as everyone else's... You should go spend some time with Christy. ;-)
# posted by : 5:45 PM
: 5:45 PM
Imagination: That's why I write stories. I can't spend the time playing such things out any more. It doesn't work. In some fundamental way, I know they're not real. But I wish they were. So I write them, because I can't talk them. They're too big to talk and act out any more.
I can't play pretend any more for myself. That's why I love kids. They let me play, too.
I can't play pretend any more for myself. That's why I love kids. They let me play, too.
Perhaps that is one of the many reasons I so enjoy historical reenacting - where the boxes and bunkbeds of childhood no longer suffice, the uniforms and rifles of the historical soldier will. The element of size and realism is there....
(Note to those who don't know me very well - I'm note one of the peculiar fellows who "lives" in the past; in the context of these comments, historical reenacting merely happens to be one of many outlets for my imagination)
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(Note to those who don't know me very well - I'm note one of the peculiar fellows who "lives" in the past; in the context of these comments, historical reenacting merely happens to be one of many outlets for my imagination)
# posted by : 12:24 AM
: 12:24 AM