“May all children be blessed with the gift of play, imagination, free time, and the space to be outdoors to explore. May they wonder at the marvels of God’s creation. May they have the treasure of real human beings who hold their hands while they explore the world, who rock them to sleep and sing them real songs and scratch their backs at bedtime and tell them their own love stories. And may they daily hear the words of their creator God, marvel at His excellence, and grow to love Him with all of their hearts.”
-Sally Clarkson
Paul and I are very blessed to have both come from caring and involved families. Separately, we both grew up being exposed to nature and valuing family time with activities outdoors.
I’m usually bad at capturing family moments – mostly because I tend to leave my phone in a bag or purse somewhere. This past weekend, my family made a quick trip to the upside-down bridge at Wapsi so Mac could play outdoors and let his wild little spirit fly. These are the small moments I am thankful for… time around family willing to lend a hand with the babies, experiencing AND capturing my son’s bravery and enthusiasm, as well as enjoying a little time out with God’s creation. There’s nothing quite like hearing your 2yr old son growl with courage as he explores the world around him!
“Too often today, children are starving for real life & drowning in the midst of any empty one. When they are constantly using technology for entertainment, children’s brains have been shown to slow down because they are overstimulated…”
“… Because many children are deprived of what their bodies and brains are designed for – rest, play, curiosity, interaction with real people and real experiences, and problems to solve – there is a diminishing of their long-term emotional, spiritual, and mental health.”
“Children need to be outdoors. They need time to be bored. They need to be around books, have lots and lots of imaginative stories read to them, and then have time to act out the stories. They need lots of time with adults so that they can pattern THEIR values and manners and relationships after mature people rather than always being in the company of immature children or exposed to digital images that display violence, foolishness, and questionable values.”
Reflection Prompt: “What can you do to ensure your children have the benefits of time for imagination and free play?”
Entry for June 27th. Mom Heart Moments: Daily Devotions for Lifegiving Motherhood by Sally Clarkson.
