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| The view from the cabin! |
In
the 1950s, my Grandpa built a cabin in Door County, Wisconsin. He had seven
children so I had a lot of aunts and uncles. The cabin overlooks Green Bay.
There is not one stoplight or fast food restaurant for fifty miles from the
cabin. There was no television in the cabin while I was growing up. There are
only two bedrooms, a large loft, and a very large area with a kitchen, tables,
and couches. Many of the families would come up during the summer and crowd
into this cabin. I would sleep up in the loft with many of my cousins.
We
live in California because my Dad went to medical school then found a good job, so we’d go up to the cabin for weeks during the summer to be with all of my mom's family. We loved it! We would
walk down steps to the dock that sits right in the water where we would spend
most of our time. We would eat our lunches on the dock, boats would pull us for water skiing, and we dove off a large raft. We were all in
heaven!
Time
in the cabin would be spent playing games, eating, talking, and playing while
the parents would be sitting on the deck talking and watching the sunset. If
someone learned how to ski, we’d all go out for banana splits. Many times, one
of my uncles would fix a large fish boil for all of us. Each family would take
turns fixing dinner. After dinner, we’d sit around a campfire and sing songs or
be entertained by the clowns in the group! Every night, we would all fall into
bed exhausted and happy. They were such wonderful times with many fond
memories.
Compare
this to how many children are spending their summers in our country now. Children
are glued to their televisions and technology gadgets while they eat junk food
and become overweight. Their bodies are not moving and their minds are being
polluted by too many things they are seeing. Children are losing their
childhood and innocence way too early. They are missing out on sunshine,
exercise, and fresh air.
Mark
Twain said, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time
to pause and reflect.” As Christians, we need to pause and reflect! We
shouldn’t be living our lives like the culture does or be entertained by what
they are entertained by. Our children should be playing outside in the sunshine
and fresh air, playing games with others, learning how to have conversation
with adults, and using discretion when watching a little bit of television or
none at all.
If
you need some ideas for your children, there’s dolls, jacks, hide-and-go seek,
jump rope, coloring and painting, clay modeling, making up stories, biking,
stringing popcorn, making doll clothes, sandlot baseball, hose in bathing
suits, baking cookies, tricycles, wagons, trucks, paper dolls, selling
lemonade, walking the dog, organizing a secret club, mud pies, tree climbing,
books, I spy, hopscotch, putting on plays, doll houses, touch football, roller
skating, or quiet time. Don’t allow your children to say, “I’m bored” because
if they do, have a list of chores for them! They will find something to do and
be creative very quickly!
Reclaim
childhood for your children! Let them be children instead of becoming stagnant
and polluted sitting all day in front of their television or iPad, as most are
today.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
