Go Fly a Kite

There’s a really sweet 7-year-old who lives at the end of our street and who is ALWAYS playing outside.  I don’t know the story, maybe he likes being outside, maybe his parents tell him to leave the house and go play, maybe it sucks for him to be home.  He plays with Charles a lot, whenever we’re around.  I feel for him – the only other 7-year-old on the street is sort of mean and plays with the “big boys” (13-year-olds) a lot, so this kind-hearted kid settles for hanging out with my 4-year-old.

 

I don’t quite know what to do about it, or if I should do anything at all.  When Charles has to come inside for dinner, this kid quietly rides his scooter up and down the street until Charles can come out again (or he has to go home for his own, much later dinner).  We’re always doing something, wearing the kids out before bedtime, filling our days with things other than the television (maybe that’s why this boy plays with Charles; many of the other kids watch TV and play video games in the afternoon).  Yesterday, we went to the park to fly kites while dinner was baking (my oven has automatic/timed bake settings).  Should I have asked the neighbor kid’s parents if he could have come with us?  Perhaps.  I probably will next time, because I get the impression that the boy doesn’t get to go many places and do many things.

 

Sometimes I forget how easy it is to have very simple, very inexpensive, very fun, active family time in the spare hours of the day.  It is worth it to drop everything and play with your kids.  This is quality time.

 

I have sixteen photos of increasing silliness.  Kid is a ham.

Sheer joy.

I highly recommend buying your kids a couple of $15 kites and spending an hour or two each week this summer running around a park.  Exercise, fresh air, parental attention.  It’s the best of what summer has to offer a kid.