Grateful [publisher's letter]

During this time of year, I find myself reflecting on what I’m grateful for—not just for the past 12 months, but over my life in general. After reading this month’s Healthy Kids article on page 22, I couldn’t help but think how incredibly grateful I am for the childhood I had. It was a special time and place—both of which afforded me what seemed like endless freedom to play, explore, imagine and create!

My family certainly didn’t have money, but, wow, what a rich “world” I lived in. Every outdoor place was magical, whether it was my yard; the field down the street; the place where my horse was boarded; the street in front of our house where we played games; the schoolyard where we played at recess; the mountains where we hiked and camped―there was a limitless abundance of outdoor joy to be had.

And my indoor world was also my playground, starting with my own room where I would often build a “fort” on my brass bed; an unfinished basement with its multitude of toys and free space to create and have fun; and the rest of the house, also a target for my creative imagination (perhaps doing some “fishing” in the hallway).

My friends and I were constantly on the move, usually outdoors, with our nonstop energy and creative minds always at work. We weren’t entertained by our parents or technology. For us, it was all physical, hands-on activity with our busy minds working as hard as our busy bodies. Bored? Never―there was too much to do!

Needless to say, times have changed a lot since those days, and parents seem to have a lot more to contend with, especially with technology on the scene. I don’t believe it’s realistic to think that kids could have the kind of childhood today that I experienced—the freedom to play and create and roam at will. However, I do believe there still has to be a way for children to savor some parts of childhood in a way that we did back then; it just might look a little different in today’s world.