I appreciate this is a dramatic statement, but is childhood in retreat after fighting a losing battle? Are our children growing up too fast, thanks to the naivety of us mums and dads towards the online world?
During the half-term holiday, I saw something that stood out. At the top of the hill near our house was a group of boys on bicycles. Aged about 10 or 11, they were clearly having some kind of adventure. Despite the busy traffic on nearby roads, it was great to see kids enjoying outside play.
Following six weeks with no school run, I once again find myself battling through traffic for thirty minutes, twice a day as I drop my eldest daughter off in the morning and collect her in the afternoon. I say undertake. Tolerate is a more accurate word.
A couple of weeks ago I posted this picture on my blog, it’s an image I thought encapsulated childhood perfectly. Going through a memory card yesterday, I found this picture, taken during the recent half term. Although technically inferior, I think this image also shows what childhood should be about.
I think this photograph encapsulates everything that childhood is meant to be; two kids exploring the natural environment on a gorgeous, early summer day. Ironically, however, this is not the picture I intended to take. It was supposed to be a landscape shot of the grass meadow framed by the two trees on either side.
