Kick the Can

Earlier this evening, I walked my daughter next door to spend the night with her cousin. On the way back, I stopped for a moment in the yard to look around at the beauty that was all around. The sky was a bluish gray and there was just enough light to make out the grass below me. I kicked off my flip flops and stood barefooted in the cool grass. Immediately, thoughts of kick the can raised through my head. Old friends long gone, having all gone their separate ways, following their own paths, also raced in and out, bringing a smile to my face.

I remember a lot of those times together, running up and down the street with not a care in the world, nor a thing that weighed on our minds. Everything was easy, and looking forward to the next day of summer was the only thing that stood in your way. These are the times that cross my mind when I see kids today. I don’t see as many kids out doing these types of things. Yes, I could be in the wrong neighborhood, and for all I know there’s a kick the can jamboree every other Thursday in rural Wisconsin. Regardless, my point is the technology of today. It’s a bittersweet issue don’t ya think? It’s amazing that we can communicate with friends and family around the world in the blink of an eye, and it’s also amazing what our kids can do with the video game technology of today. But do we let them or make them unplug enough?

I’m certainly not here to tell anyone how to raise their children, only to bring and help people remember what it was like and at the same time, point out that most of us turned out OK. Every once in a blue moon, I would do or say something that my parents didn’t agree with. Depending on the severity of the situation, I know I had my ass handed to me in the form of a hand or belt by my father. Guess what? I’m still doing just fine on good ‘ol planet Earth. I’m not warped by it, nor disgruntled about it. I think I’m doing OK. I think we should all take a look at our lives, technology, and just the way we raise our kids in general and just try and remember that we are their parents and they only learn their true values from us. Friends and other people will have an influence, but it’s us that they will always turn to in the end.

Love your kids, hug them, tuck them in for as long as you can. Take some time and teach them something new and old at the same time, hmm, maybe kick the can.

MG