09 Mar Don’t Cage Wild Things

They said they would rather be outlaws a year in Sherwood Forest than President of the United States forever.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Tom and Joe Harper, Chapter 8.

Recently I’ve been reading the famous children’s book Tom Sawyer to my girls. Mark Twain’s literary genius has captivated all of us and left us wondering at the close of each chapter, “what mischief can he possibly get into next?!” Aside from being a master manipulator and salesman, Tom has a knack for finding his way into highly dramatic situations (some of which involve his whole town!).

Most of the time, though, Tom just wants to play. He and his friends imagine they are cowboys, pirates, and soldiers in their imaginative play times by the water or in the woods. Tom and two of his friends even run away to a nearby island when they take their “pirating adventures” too far, only returning to show up at their own funerals (the townspeople thought they had drown) for the most dramatic impact, of course.

While our children will hopefully never run away from home or witness a murder after sneaking out at midnight like Tom did, they all have an innate need for imaginative play and outdoor exploration. The British educator Charlotte Mason, who advocates strongly for the necessity of play in the child’s life says that the need for play comes just after his or her needs for love and nourishment are met. Yes, it’s really that important.

According to Mason, “Boys and girls must have time to invent episodes, carry on adventures, live heroic lives, lay sieges and carry forts, even if it be an old armchair; and in these affairs the elders must neither meddle nor make.” She goes on to say that if we do organize their play time there is “...serious danger. In this matter the child who goes too much on crutches never learns to walk.“

The Importance of Child’s Play

Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, author of “For the Children’s Sake,” made the following reflections on this issue: “But one of the saddest things I know is to watch students look at a group of children, involved for hours in satisfying play, and comment, ‘I’ve never seen children playing like that.’ No? Then weep. Even childhood is robbed of the riches of humanness. It is appropriate to pause and think about that.“

For imaginative play to work well, an adult needs to be present only when necessary to help navigate squabbles, provide food, and bring kids back to reality when play time is over. Otherwise, Susan admonishes, “they need privacy from intruding adults.”

Yes, there will be messes when you say “yes” to extended imaginative play times, but the hassle is well worth it. Just yesterday, my two youngest girls came to the door covered in mud, beaming with pride over the mud pies they had prepared in the backyard. I gave them a good bath and then said, “Tell me all about it,” which they did with great enthusiasm.

While T.V. and electronics in moderation aren’t bad,  if we can’t just tell our kids to “go and play,” without them whining and begging for more screen time, maybe its time for them to “face a little boredom” in order to re-discover their imaginative side again. Contrary to popular belief, boredom is not a bad thing, which has been discussed in several news articles in recent years.

Fallow time and space is necessary in the lives of both children and adults for creativity to develop and blossom. Children are beautifully wild creatures; while structure is absolutely essential and healthy in their lives, let’s not cage them! When we give them some freedom, glorious things can happen, like your four year old walking up to you with a dead worm on a stick saying, “Mama, he’s sleeping!”

While reading Tom Sawyer to my kids, sometimes I’ve wondered if Tom were alive today, would he have as many adventures? Or would he be hypnotized by electronic devices or consumed with a full schedule of educational and extra-curricular activities? Let’s hope our kids never run away or witness a murder like dear Tom, but other than that, let’s let them  have as many imaginative adventures as childhood can carry. Let’s be proactive not to cage wild things.