(This essay originally appeared in Main Line Life newspaper on 7/16/08.)
As I see children being shuttled to their summer day camps, swim and tennis lessons, and play-dates I wonder if at any point in their childhood they will be allowed to just run free. Gone are the days when you could assume your child would be safe roaming the neighborhood on foot or on bikes with other kids on your street. And when you live in an area that is as developed and urban as ours is, the opportunity to explore the outdoors is also limited. I doubt whether most kids today will ever know, as I did growing up, the wonders of the clay pits.

The clay pits was one of those places that today’s constantly monitored children would never be allowed near. When I think of all the ways we could have been accidentally maimed or killed playing there, I still shudder. Our parents either had no idea what a dangerous place it was, or they just believed strongly in Darwin’s theory – maybe a few of us needed to be weeded out. Continue reading →