Pain2ndJune
It's time to let kids get blackberry scratches in a briar patch fort. It's time to let them be cold and wet, and shiver a little. It's time to not panic when their knife nicks them while they're carving a bow for arrows. Life can be both gorgeous and scary at the same time, with pain as a very real part of it.
I once heard my genius friend Willem Larsen say, "Pain is mandatory, suffering is optional." Children won't take up the grand quest if they believe we'll coddle or care for them every time challenges arise. They'll wait for us to come to their rescue instead of relying on their wits. It's time to stop crying over spilt homogenized, politically correct milk.
Resiliency is inherent in every child. But our culture has it backwards. We ask them to be stalwart to things like desks, four walls and bells giving them marching orders. Instead, we should rally them for things wild and real: dirt, water, trees, bugs, rain and wide open sky. So tally ho, full steam ahead and once more into the breach. In the words of the immortal Kevin McCallister, "This is it, don't get scared now."
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Get Your Hands in the Dirt…
Ages 6-10 Permaculture for Kids in our 2010 Summer Camps June 21-25
Hone Your Edge...
Ages 14-18 Teens build a sea kayak in 14 days while living and foraging on the Oregon Coast.
