Last Child in the Woods

I've owned this book for a couple of years. I pulled it out the other day, when we found a house that might fit the bill for us. We have wondered exactly how far in the country we wanted to live. We moved, if you remember from an urban location. Moving from one lifestyle to another is a shock to the system. But reading a book like this brings it all back to mind why we did this in the first place.

Sustainability is one of the reasons we want to be in a rural/no covenant type living arrangment. Being able to do with one's property what you want is important to us. But we've also begun to realize how important 'room to run' is to kids. After watching our kids roam without perceived physical & imposed boundaries, its become far more important to us to find a place that has 'room to run.

This book is not talking about nature worship, it does not suggest the DNR Medical encyclopedia needs to develop a new syndrome (quite the opposite), it does not advocate worship of nature instead of God.

It does enlighten one to things we probably know already. What happens when the power in your house goes out, what happens when kids see a big field or a stream? Imagination & interest come alive. There's no script (unless parents or caregivers suggest it)... When pushed outside kids have an opportunity to naturally decompress from busy-ness & overload.

Our minds were not created to be able to process the overload diet we live on. Especially pre-schoolers. This is not limited to, but certainly includes tv. (lowercase letters as we'd lower-case an alternative god)

It's hard to break away. I'm in withdrawal right now. When 'everything' is 1/2 an hour away, you really gotta want it. But I'm seeing the upside to that. You really gotta want it. It forces to you to weigh out what it is, why, how, and is it really worth it. We really have played alot of games in place of finding another outlet that might be a part of the 'over-load'.

Does everyone need to move to the sticks to do this? No, but we do need to understand our need for peace that is found in nature. Louv's descriptions of our over-dose attempts to be in the outdoors bring it home that regular simple exposure & sanctuary is vital to our quality of life.

We have no shortage of enthusiasm for dirt around our house, it's just getting them out there and becoming more accustomed to becoming lost in the quiet, peace & sanctuary of God's creation.

More on this to come. But if you've ever wanted real motivation, convicting motivation to 'unplug'-- this is it. Run don't walk to Barnes & Noble, click on that prime button on Amazon, or better yet, see if your library carries this book.

BTW, I bought it, while on a kid trip to B&N in Baton Rouge. Train table, coffee, magazines, etc... But since that day, I've realized even more how little my kids need to be exposed to extreme commmercialism. I'm a junkie. And I don't want them to be junkies. I see a connection to contentment & peace here. It was a purchase I'm glad I made tho, as I have read it as a touchstone to ground me again in a world that's looking for answers in all the wrong places.