in what seems like a week's time summer is gone
my perception of time has changed
things a skewed
a season that once lasted forever is now here and gone without even one Road Trip to the beach
what have I become?
is this adult life?

summer and its freedom bring back so many great memories
the things we did to occupy our time
I feel as if I grew up in one of the last eras wiht the adventureous spirit of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn
now things are different....
the Internet has replaced outdoor adventure
children multitask... sending Instant Messages rather than playing kick the can
why would a child ride a bike when they can be a world class BMXer on their PLAYSTATION?
why would a child play pick up basketball when he can dunk on PLAYSTATION?
why would a child struggle to learn to snowboard when he can do McTwists in the halfpip on the SONY PLAYSTATION?

don't get me wrong.... I was a video addict back in the day of the coin operated video game machine
but.... there was a certain limitation
as life was a tad more simple when I was a child
money did not flow quite as freely

remember
30 years ago.... time prior to the Super Big Gulp
a time when 12 ounces of soda was more than enough
soda was something special
not something consumed here there everywhere....
a treat on pizza night or after a soccer game

times have changed
the world has changed
not all change is for the better
we evolve
we evolve
until it seems we de-evolve

will it be possible for me to raise my children with a healthy balance
YES!

it is not easy
but we try
there are already threats of temptations
the request for video games has already begun
introduction at the dentist office and at friends or families' houses
soon we will certainly have these games in our house too
because...
if they are going to play these games
at least let them be played under my supervision
with limits and control

yesterday Dean was pleased to have his friend from down the block back from a summer in Spain
it was good to see this old friend... well Dean's diminutive friend
there were the same standard issues as they quickly fell into their old habits
they were trying to leave Grant out of the action
there was fighting over toys
there was that overly physical play....
so I used Dean's friends in the way I like to use them best... to get Dean to do something that I want

Dean has walked the dogs with me since he was a small child
as a baby he was in the Baby Bjorn
then he moved to the backpack
from the backpack he moved to the ground and kept moving
but
the standard loop across the street has become "old hat"
it is hard to inspire Dean to do this loop over and over again
but... to his friends this loop is still fresh and new
so with his friends the shared experience is still fresh and new

so.... I asked Dean's guest if he wanted to hike
sure enough he did...
so did Dean... and well... so did Grant
Grant got most enthused
he started to move about in a panic yelling HIKE... HIKE... HIKE in his mono-sylabic sort of way
so we all walked the dogs

it is a short loop
but the loop goes over logs
up and down hills
there are trees to climb and forts to hide in
there are different paths to choose from
it is an amazing resource right across the street from my house
a little bit of the country tucked right in the middle of an urban world

we did our hike
hopefully we will hike again
hopefully the thrill of hiking will be combined with the thrill of biking
hopefully there will be a love of kick the can and freeze tag
as we are not Amish... it is inevitable for the children to be drawn to DVDs and Video Games

but only with balance....
if you eat your vegetables.... their is no harm in an occassional dessert