Nature Babies
Posted on January 24, 2009 - Filed Under Kids | 2 Comments
I was a nature baby. I was born to hippie parents and lived in a goat shed for the early years of my life . . . two different ones, actually! Sans goats (except during very cold spells in the winter when they had to come inside or freeze!), of course.
From the time I could walk, I was allowed to wander freely. I used to head out into the forest all by my lonesome and hike for what seemed like miles to my tiny legs! At the age of 2.5, I “helped” my father build a stackwood house (like a brick house, but using rounds of logs, instead, like this one). I ate wild berries, stomped on mushrooms and freaked my parents out by disappearing for long periods of time . . . usually in search of more berries or the railroad that ran past about a mile from our house!
It wasn`t until I was 11 that we moved to the suburbs and my wanderings were squelched. Before then, I climbed trees, stalked wild grouse and hiked for miles with abandon. I swam in rivers, floated boats on creeks and watched the ice break up on the Nechako. Thanks to a huge library of back to the land books and magazines that my father had collected, I ended up well versed in things like how to build a shelter, or snowshoes and how to light a fire in half a dozen different ways.
Now it`s my turn to pass all that on to my boys! They might not be able to hike for miles through the forest around here, but I let them play outside all day long when they want to and they have already started trying to climb the trees around here!
This morning was one of our best mornings yet. Dante is fascinated with birds right now and is always searching for them in the trees. Today, I showed him the bird footprints that cover our dirt yard and he was very impressed, but even more impressed was Dorian who carefully examined the footprints, counted the toes, compared them to his own footprints and then went in search of more. We followed the prints down the path and back. Then we found a new set on the other side of the wall and a bonus, DOG footprints! There were some cat ones further on, so we started asking each other, “What print is this?” And the other would answer. He got most of them right! Dante busily erased footprints of all kinds by running them over with a Tonka. 
It was a fun morning, both boys learned something and it reminded me of my childhood when my sisters and I used to “hunt” deer and moose by tracking them across the road and into the forest. And so, a whole new generation of nature babies is born!
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I was a nature kid too. We lived in the suburbs, but in Florida, where nature doesn’t abide by man-made boundaries! I was also raised by parents who believed kids belonged ‘outside playing’. I found and hatched lizard eggs. I caught and released snakes I found in the yard (usually outside because I got in trouble when they got lost in the house). I could whistle a mockingbird out of a tree, feed robins by hand, and fish with the cranes and pelicans (little beggars). I have fed clams to large-mouth bass, by hand, under water. I remember sitting on the porch as the sun set, flipping sunflower seed shells out in front of mosquito-hunting dragonflies, just so, to have the dragonfly catch the shell, stop and hover as it examined it, then drop it after it determined it was not food. Oh yes, I have swum with dolphins, waded amongst schools of ‘flying’ stingrays, and froze in my steps on the beach as a flock of skittering fiddler crabs flowed by my bare feet. To me, this was ‘playing outside’ meant. I want my kids to have this too!
I have to say, as much as I love Egypt… I HATE that it is so dirty. Dog crap (or people, you don’t want to know), litter of all sorts, bugs, rats, dead animal carcasses (in a land with rabies)… and don’t touch anything associated with birds because of bird flu!… sigh.. I grew up handling snake skins, feathers, animal bones, animals (except the armadillos and porcupines!), catching things in the water, etc. No worries. But I have to tell my kids “Don’t touch!” far too often here. I do not even want them picking up litter and trying to help clean up our home, where I’d otherwise encourage that attitude… sigh.. I know, they are NOT deprived and there is so much they get in exchange. We went to the Egyptian museum today… an awesome visit! But, well, I’m sure you know.. I really want them to be nature babies too.
My brother and I ran wild with our friends when we were kids. Saturdays we would get up with the sun and not come home until the lightning bugs came out. It was the most fun ever, Building forts, catching frogs, making mudpies and living in trees was the best life ever. I wish my kids had the same outdoors experience, but there are lots of strangers and traffic where we live. I can’ t just let them run wild. We would be two towns away on our bikes and my parents had no clue where we were. My kids never go anywhere without me. Sigh… I feel bad for them.