Nature and Your Child

Nature is our greatest teacher; that is why we refer to her as ‘mother’, protecting and nurturing us.

I had always wanted my son to be a ‘nature’s boy’, one who loves the outdoors, jumps around like a frog and plays gleefully. He has gradually grown into one☺. He has never really been addicted to this menace, the TV. But as he is growing, he seems to be suddenly drawn towards these games on play station and other similar ones (influence of the peer group, I always tell myself). I never really tried to restrict this as I consider my son to be way ahead of his years, in maturity; so I was certain that he would know where to draw a line. Moreover, in all honesty, I think I was a wee bit selfish because his time with the games meant a lot of ‘me’ time for me. I had recently started to write professionally and needed all the time in the world for this.

 But one day I realised that intervention was required, when my son remained glued to his PS3, for 5 crazy hours. It was a wakeup call. I literally dragged my baby out for football; you cannot imagine the amount of fun we had, screaming, laughing, and running☺. I realised that day, that a child is intrinsically connected to his surroundings, he just needs to rediscover it. Let your child experience nature in totality, walk in it, explore it through his senses.

You need to build the excitement, create experiences for your children so that they are eager to rush back into the arms of nature. Taking walks in the park works wonders for my son and I. If you have a garden in your house…you are blessed. But for those (me, too) who live in those sky high condominiums, a park is perfect. Let your kid walk around, be observant, inquisitive. Allow him to collect random stuff, like twigs, leaves, pebbles, even bugs (my son loves to collect lady bugs in small bottles and pierces holes in the cap so that they can breathe).

You can create your own fun activities. Set up a tent outdoors, ask your child to build stick figures, allow him to pretend play, about super heroes and monsters or whatever else he wants. Free play is extremely beneficial for our child’s growth. It enhances his ability to imagine and create. The child also learns to entertain himself (especially important for parents with a single child, like me).

My son has his personal ‘green ground’. I have a lot of potted plants and my son has his own plants, too.He is so sincere and affectionate in the way he takes care of them. He knows that they BELONG to him. Our children need to take ownership of their environment, so that Mother Nature is allowed to blossom and they can continue to enjoy its magnificence forever (cross my fingers).

You inspire your child, he tends to emulate you; he is your reflection. Let him see you soak in the beauty of the surroundings and he, too, would feel this oneness, with nature.

Go Green!!!!! ☺

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