| hood has moved indoors. What a shame. Children are | | | | So where have all the bicycles gone? Getting that first |
| meant to be running free in open spaces, climbing | | | | 2-wheeler used to be one of childhoods most exciting |
| trees, finding frogs and turtles, biking to the playground, | | | | moments. It meant an expansion of the child’s |
| and being hard to find at dinnertime. Today’s | | | | world. The opportunity to travel beyond one’s |
| child is most likely to be found sitting in front of a | | | | street and meet friends at the playground, ball field, or |
| screen – TV, video games, computers. 8-10 year | | | | just go to someone’s house on your own was |
| olds reportedly spend an average of 6 hours a day | | | | an exciting new stage of independence. It also meant |
| staring at a screen. Given an additional 6 hours spent in | | | | lots of exercise. But bicycle sales are plummeting. |
| school plus eating, sleeping, homework and we have | | | | Over 20% decline in just the past 5 years. Now less |
| taken our children’s worlds and turned them | | | | than half of children ages 7-11 regularly ride a bike. This |
| into tiny, structured spaces with little physical activity | | | | is a serious change in the culture of our |
| and almost no free play time. Organized sports have | | | | children’s lives. |
| become the play of many children but actually only | | | | But it is not just the crazy schedule of parents or the |
| about a quarter of all children are playing an organized | | | | increased temptation of “screens” to |
| sport during any season of the year. So the vast | | | | play with. A major role in the narrowing world of |
| majority are just sitting around, growing obese at an | | | | children is parental fear. Surveys indicate parents have |
| alarming rate and missing out on important socializing. | | | | a distorted expectation of the risk that if they allow |
| How did we come to such a place where the lives of | | | | their children to roam freely about the town, those |
| our children are so restricted and isolated? Well, we | | | | children may be abducted by child molesters. School |
| can start with the lives of their parents. American | | | | playgrounds are no longer deemed safe places to |
| adults, as chronicled in Robert Putnam’s | | | | hang out. The woods are no longer a great place to |
| “Bowling Alone”, have become isolated | | | | explore. Biking across town has come to mean an |
| from their community. Participation in all aspects of | | | | increased possibility of being abducted. |
| community life has dropped dramatically over the past | | | | Parents couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, there |
| 30 years. One of the interesting points in | | | | are only 100-130 stranger abductions a year in the U.S. |
| Putnam’s book is that bowling remains very | | | | This is a miniscule number. I’m not being |
| popular, but bowling leagues have virtually disappeared. | | | | insensitive to the pain of those parents who have had |
| Adults no longer feel they have time to make | | | | a child abducted and molested or killed but please |
| commitments to be with others on a regular basis. A | | | | let’s keep some perspective here. You and |
| colleague of mine just remarked about how she | | | | your child are 3 times more likely to be hit by lightening |
| wanted to start playing bridge again, found some | | | | at a soccer game than your child is likely to |
| friends with a similar desire, found a teacher, and then | | | | experience a stranger abduction! |
| discovered her friends were unable to commit to a | | | | Notice I keep emphasizing “stranger |
| regular time for lessons. | | | | abduction.” 75% of all abductions are carried |
| What has happened to American adults? Changes in | | | | out by people the child knows, I suspect most of which |
| family structure are a major factor. With so many | | | | are done by divorced parents who are upset about |
| divorces, we have a much higher percentage of single | | | | custody arrangements. Children running free – |
| heads of households and blended families, resulting in | | | | meeting at the playground or in someone’s |
| much more complex life schedules for parents and | | | | yard – are very safe. Not only safe, but these |
| children. Further, dual career parents have become the | | | | children are learning to make creative use of their time, |
| norm and work has increasingly encroached on the | | | | being physically active, and improving their social skills. |
| privacy of home life with the advent of cell phones | | | | And it’s free!! Now what more could you ask |
| and computers. Americans work longer hours than | | | | for. |
| any other industrialized nation. | | | | So please, restrict access to screens, send your |
| In this context of reduced hands on parenting and | | | | children out of the house, encourage them to go |
| overwhelming schedules, the current generation of | | | | places on their own, and don’t just smile when |
| parents has evolved into an anxious group who are | | | | your child opts to use instant messaging to talk to her |
| overly concerned about the safety and the academic | | | | friend next door. Turn off the computer and send her |
| intellectual development of their children. Too bad | | | | next door! Consider it a pleasure to yell down the |
| … for the parents and the children. We end up | | | | street or call a friend to find your child at dinnertime |
| with smarter fat children who are more stressed and | | | | instead of simply having to pry him away from his |
| growing up too fast. Higher rates of anxiety and | | | | XBox. Let’s make bicycles something special |
| depression are no accident. | | | | for children once again. |