Most of our core beliefs and personality traits are easily traced back to our early childhood. As a child i was an "outdoor kid" much like how people deem their cats outdoor or indoor cats. i remember waking up in the morning, being fed, then being slid out the door.
In these modern times i may have been labeled a "free-range" kid. Whatever you choose to stamp on my forehead, this upbringing had a significant impact on who i have become. All that time on the grass, under trees, watching squirrels & snakes, birds & bugs; gave me a healthy appreciation for the environment and life in general. i observed all those little living things while i myself was just a little living thing. i feel a bond with all life and that influences many of my daily decisions.
Being an "outdoor kid" also meant i was not under constant parental supervision (that instead came as i grew older oddly enough). i was only as safe as i kept myself. To this day i rarely wear a helmet during activities requiring such equipment, but it taught me to safely push my limits while being reasonable about what i could pull off. Throw a helmet on someone and they think they are invincible. Constantly watch someone and they will learn to do what you want them too. No helmet, no watchful eyes, and you end up with a kid who is independent yet grounded. That or you end up with no kid... survival of the fittest i guess in this overpopulated world of ours.
For better or for worse i am glad i was an "outdoor kid". If i go even most of a day without getting outside i start clawing at the walls, but i am self-motivated, self-aware, and driven by an interconnected feeling of being part of LIFE.
While "indoor kids" may invent great yet safe things like iPods and Blackberries "outdoor kids" invent stuff like skateboarding and punk rock. i worry that as we over sanitize our youth and child-proof the planet that future generations may miss out on "outdoor kid's" contributions that help balance things out.
Maybe we will not even survive long enough to ever see if that happens.
