OK- we haven’t read the book yet but as we were searching the internet for interesting news items this week, we found Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by author Richard Louv.

My curiosity was initially piqued by the above-named newfound pop-psychology syndrome.  I was going to comment cynically on the likelihood that we would now see a Nature-Deficit Disorder support industry, with counselors, prescription drugs and even criminal defenses predicated on the fact that the accused axe-murderer never got to pick wild raspberries as a youth.

Before making fun of something, I try to have at least a basic understanding of the target so I browsed excerpts and reviews of the book.  Suddenly I had the uncomfortable realization that perhaps it was not deserving of my poison pen and instead, had tapped into a looming problem that could have major consequences for our society.

The premise of this book is something most folks my age and older have commented upon: kids today don’t spend nearly enough time outside.  The book takes that assumption further and claims that we are causing great harm to our children by keeping them away from the supposed “dangers” of the outdoors.

There are a myriad of reasons why our children don’t spend much time outdoors anymore.  Homes are filled with electronic toys, there are more leisure opportunities, televisions that have 300 channels of garbage and parents of the world have grown deathly afraid of kidnappers and germs.  Mix in underemployed liability lawyers who will sue on behalf of any common childhood injury and you have a generation of kids who are uncomfortable touching soil isn’t certified by the National Playdirt Association.

Though reviews of the book are overwhelming positive, a few reviewers take exception to Louv’s points and claim that some of his “facts” are merely unverifiable assumptions.  Only having read excerpts, I cannot comment on the accuracy of statistics cited but overall I’d say that anyone who disagrees with the central theme either hasn’t been a parent and/or never had dirt under their fingernails.

We have often commented on the sad fact that our own children would never be allow to run wild as I did myself.  Though I consider myself barely middle-aged, it was not so long ago when I would disappear after breakfast, return briefly for lunch then turn up again in time for dinner.

At my grandparent’s cabin along Sugar Creek, I would literally roam miles from home, wading in the stream, climbing trees and cliffs, building forts and harassing countless small critters.  One time I even caught the neighbor’s dog with my spinning rod.

Grandpa wasn’t too happy about that little adventure and the resulting veterinarian’s bill.

Having since become a parent, I have now also fallen into the trap of providing too much electronic stimulation and highly structured play activities such as the junior bobsledding league.  When I do finally urge them outdoors, I also find myself reciting a huge list of rules and dangers to remind the kids that bees can sting and creepy weird people lurk behind every bush.

Louv believes evidence shows that keeping a child away the outdoors leads to stress, anxiety, poor school performance, Attention Deficit Disorder and a host of other life problems.  I don’t have much in the way of scholarly credentials but I must agree with this point.

In my experiences of having worked with countless troubled youth, I will say it is rare to find any who enjoy outdoor activities aside from petty theft or cultivation of certain species of the hemp family.  For the naysayer, I will agree that parenting or lack thereof does play a critical role in the development of budding felons.

However, I believe outdoor play helps children to become well rounded and intellectually balanced.  I also believe that children who frequently spend time with a parent or role model in the outdoors rarely get into serious trouble.  The reasons are fairly simple to those who haven’t been literally sheltered.

The outdoors teaches dramatic and immediate lessons about life, death and the interdependence of environment, plant and animal.  It also serves as an outstanding teacher of personal responsibility, backed up by quick and harsh lessons on the consequences of failing this duty.  The outdoors also exercises the curiosity, calms the spirit and reminds us we are merely a tiny cog in a large wheel known as life.

Quite simply, kids who learn all these lessons become better people.

In our world, we may be reasonably justified in keeping a closer eye on our children than our parents did but those concerns shouldn’t keep our kids away from the outdoors and all the good lessons found there.

Do yourself, our society, our world and your kids a favor: shove them, lovingly, out the door.

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