Comments on: Preserving Yesterday for your Kids

By: Jennie D

Jennie D — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:17:14 +0000

A mix of both.
My husband & I bought a house across from the house I grew up in, so our son has the same general environment that I did. Of course, it’s more developed and times have changed, but there’s a lot of protected wetlands & and woods that develepors have been threatening to build on for ages. I’m hoping they’re still there when my son is old enough to play on his own.
As far at the toys go, my parents saved a lot of toys/books from my childhood. They’ve brought joy to my son & the same with his fathers toys. I’ll be carefully boxing up a few special items of my son’s for my grandchildren, but I don’t plan to go overboard with it.

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:13:18 +0000

What’s stopping you from moving to an area more like the one you dream about?

- If you don’t have the money, you can allocate more time to save.
- If you need to be close to work you can find a new job.
- If you want to be close to family then perhaps they would be willing to move too.
- If you think your kids will be too old to appreciate it? Get them involved in talking about moving and the sort of place they’d like to live in.

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:49:37 +0000

Neither. The things I remember most about my childhood are the things my parents said to me and the things we did together as a family. Of course, in my case, a lot of those memories are quite negative, but that helps motivate to make sure that I am creating memories for my kids that they will look back on fondly.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:24:47 +0000

I’m a reader, so I remember reading anywhere and everywhere I could take a book, and that was usually outside. In the summer my mom would feed all of us 5 kids breakfast then send us on our way outside, locking the door behind her. We came back at lunchtime, then were sent back out again until dark. My entire childhood was basically spent outside, with very very little television….needless to say I’m a bit of an indoors kind of gal these days (still reading though!).

As much as I prefer the indoors, I still try to encourage my two girls to play outdoors. We live in Southern Calif. and with the summer days topping out over 100 degrees, it’s not all that possible to be outdoors too much. Also, with the times we live in, it’s not possible to send my children out the door and tell them to go play and be home by dark.

My girls get creative inside the house though, creating “caves” for their “guys” using blankets and closets. Random household objects become vehicles for their “guys” and shoes inevitably become beds and such.

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:55:05 +0000

I remember the outdoors better than the toys. I remember my brother, my friend and I getting lost in the woods behind our home in New Jersey. I remember the hours spent playing capture the flag in over-sized fatigues with the neighborhood kids. I remember climbing trees, building tree forts, and pretend to rough it..at least until dinner time or bed time.

What I remember most from childhood though isn’t the toys or the outdoors. It was the people. My family, my friends, my teachers, my classmates, and my neighbors.

As for preserving the past, I believe that well told story and pictures may be sufficient enough. Maybe a few old things – especially the handmade stuff – are things I intend to hold on to. A few crocheted items from my grandmother. Recipes handed down to me from my mother and grandmother. Things of that sort. I don’t want to hold onto something that may just sit in boxes for decades and perhaps only reopened by my children or grandchildren after I have passed on where they have no clue what made it so dear to hang on to. Things are forgotten. People and memorable places usually aren’t.

By: PAUL

PAUL — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:08:30 +0000

AJ, I still have fond memories of the oak tree-filled, brown grass having, crawdad filled creek at the end of your street. I drive by the condo complex that replaced it at least once a week when I visit my parents. Sometimes I even have appointments with customers who live there. I never go by without thinking about how much fun you, RB, and I had there as kids. I understand your feeling like you may have shortchanged your kids, but fortunately there is no shortage of beautiful, open spaces around your current home to visit and enjoy. I feel fortunate that directly across from my front door is a 200+ acre wetland preserve that the kids and dog can go out and enjoy exploring…though the overhead high-voltage power lines will probably sterilize them or give them brain disease. I showed my daughter the funky old Winnie the Pooh I used as a kid, she thought it was neat that something so old survived, but viewed it primarily as a novelty. I don’t hold to the notion of hanging on to old stuff for the sake of it being old. I have a few nice things put away, but mostly want the kids to not be pack rats…stuff is just stuff.

By: Diana (Ladybug Limited)

Diana (Ladybug Limited) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:44:31 +0000

I still have most of my kids’ books, but it’s the plum tree and the rest of the backyard that I have specific memories attached to.

You have got to read Last Child in the Woods if you haven’t already– all about the need for that empty lot more than any toys.

In fact, we bought the house we did a year ago (even though it was 1 bedroom short!) because of its outdoor space– we’re at the end of a private drive, so our kiddos live outside riding bikes in the “street” or exploring the yard.

By: MoJo

MoJo — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:09:53 +0000

Definitely the outdoors. I have so many memories of fantasy play in the redwoods or the garden. There aren’t too many indoor toys that I really remember. A healthy imagination outdoors is something I am really trying to recreate for my kids.

By: My Boaz's Ruth

My Boaz's Ruth — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:43:27 +0000

The toys and books I played with indoors. And the places we went as a family. I was not a big player-outdoor.

By: KGS

KGS — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:18:24 +0000

I grew up in a city, and wasn’t allowed to play around the neighborhood unless an adult knew where I was at all times. Two outdoor areas were a big part of growing up, though. We were lucky to have a fairly large backyard with a fenced-off dirt area where kids could dig huge holes, build forts with scrap lumber we kept lying around, and generally make as big a mess as we wanted, which in some ways replaced the traditional vacant lot for my friends and me. My family also camped a LOT (about every other weekend) in national forests and spent time at a remote cabin owned by extended family, where my brother and I spent unsupervised messing-around time outdoors (once we were old enough not to get lost, anyway).

We have a very small yard, and rarely camp, both of which I regret somewhat. On the other hand, my daughter spends a lot of time most summers on archaeological digs with me. I hope this kind of seasonal outdoor messing-around time can to some extent replace the more constant version I had.