When I was a kid, my sister-from-another-mister, Gail, and I used to play outside all day long.
Seriously, all day long.
Sometimes, we’d even forget to eat.
If there was snow on the ground, we’d play until we were completely frozen…chunks of snow in our hair, no feeling in our extremities, noses running, clothes soaked through.
We had to be told to come inside.
Always.
My kids?
Not so much.
They are itching from the first flake to go outside and play in the snow, but for some reason, the “idea” of playing in the snow seems to be more tantalizing than actually playing in the snow.
My kids are more work when they are playing outside than when they are playing inside.
My doorbell is constantly ringing, and when I answer it, I am met with:
“My glove disconnected from my sleeve and snow touched my skin!”
“He threw snow in my face!”
Or, the one that instantly sends me over the edge:
“We’re bored out here!”
I think of the forts and the snowmen and the sledding and the hours and hours and hours that Gail and I entertained ourselves in the snow, and it boggles my mind that my kids need so much guidance to play in the snow.
Inside, they are remarkably creative with their play and they can play in the basement for hours, building, creating, imagining.
What is it about the snow that makes them forget how to play?
I wonder if it might be because we don’t have snow like we did when I was a kid.
Maybe because it only really snows once a season now, they don’t really know what to do with it.
Stupid global warming.
Maybe they’re just snow lazy.
I don’t know…all I know is that Monkey in the Middle and Baby Monkey have been at the front door three times since I started writing this post and I finally told them that I didn’t want to hear from them for at least fifteen minutes.
They aren’t wearing watches.
Fifteen, Fifty…it’s all the same, right?
The country mouse.
The city mouse.
No wires came down, thank goodness!
Half of the snowblower blades broke partway through the blow-out.
After I wrote the above post, the monkeys proved me wrong by playing restaurant on the back deck for an hour.
The twenty-somethings who rent the house across the street are definitely NOT “snow lazy.” We think they are on their way to the world’s largest snowman.
I thought my kids were the only ones that were high maintenance when they played outside in the snow!! Hahaha. I think it’s because I grew up with a lot more snow than mine have ever seen, too. Loved the photos of your kids enjoying the snow and of the world’s largest snowman across the street. You’ll have to keep us updated on that situation!
Comment by The Dose of Reality (@TheDoseTweets) — February 10, 2013 @ 3:30 pm |
On July 4th, they also create the world’s largest water slide, so I think this snowman of theirs is only going to get bigger!
Comment by abozza — February 10, 2013 @ 9:29 pm |
Hahaha! So true! I have to kick my kids outside on a beautiful 70 degree day. Really!?
Comment by Gail Kraynak — February 10, 2013 @ 7:02 pm |
How does this happen? We used to cover every single inch of that neighborhood!
Comment by abozza — February 10, 2013 @ 9:28 pm |
I grew up in the cold & flat lands in Iowa. Sledding? What? No way. Too much pulling & not enough hills. Snowmobiling was the only outside fun to be had & that was limited to when Dad was around to take us. I don’t recall more than 1 snowman built from my childhood. My kids however go out & if there is an anthill to be raced across in a sled, they are on it. Love it. Even 15 yr olds were creating a ‘fort’ of snow, packed in the corner of the deck, with a spray bottle of water (to make it into ice). They didn’t finish but 2 walls up before moving to the hot tub & XBox. But they still go sledding down the driveway. And, Olivia – HOURS at FMS sledding down the hills in the back.
Comment by Carla — February 13, 2013 @ 8:54 am |
I love to hear this!
Comment by abozza — February 13, 2013 @ 9:23 am |