Ah, family. You can't choose them, though I would choose many of these folks. Many families drove hours to get here, others flew from all corners of the country. We've been doing this for at least 4 years now and each time it is great. The problem is getting to spend quality time with all those you want to talk to.
We reminisced about growing up together and how different it is for our children. A core group of 12-14 cousins were together almost every weekend and in the summer we were inseparable. Our parents, 6 siblings, loved being together themselves and lived within 1.5 hours of each other. The things we did; camping out on Bobcat Mtn, climbing the "cliff", heading down to the lake to swim, canoe, fish, shoot frogs, skate, play hockey and generally be kids. We grew up in a time where worry was a long way away from us and our parents. I agree times are different, but are they better? I would be hard pressed to say they are better today. And it is sad. There is much to worry about in today's world and the young are different. All of us loved being out in the natural world. That signified freedom to us and did we take advantage of it. Most of our time was unstructured and filled with thought, curiosity, energy and optimism. Slowly and insidiously, organized sports and activities crept into our world and sucked the imagination out of living. Being human and part of an opinionated community, we felt guilty if we didn't participate. Our kids would be missing out on opportunities and the places we chose to settle were a little more gentrified and judgemental. So unstructured play was at a minimum and less parents chose to let their children "run wild" anyway, so we, us and our children marched into the world of organized everything. Perhaps more to come on this topic as it makes me feel bad as a parent.
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Retired Educator
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