Game On

I remember a time when playing was the only thing on my to do list. I remember spending all summer days with my friends outside running around, playing all sorts of stupid games, riding my bicycle or just playing tennis, volley-ball and badminton. The parking in front of my apartment building has served for many years as a playground and it is there where I started playing tennis for the first time. I loved it so much that I asked my parents to take me to take professional tennis lessons.  They did, and for about 6 years I played tennis 3-4 times per week. It’s there, on the streets where champions begin to rise.  I remember a childhood filled with laughter, joy and sports. Back then, I would have never chosen to stay inside my home and watch tv instead of meeting my friends outside. This childhood filled with activities was not only making me happy, educating me, forcing me to learn to take care of myself, it was also making me a social person, it was teaching me the importance of building relationships, but maybe more important than anything, keeping me healthy and in good shape.

I look around lately and I see kids with weight problems at an early age, looking tired after a walk in the park. We would run for hours and wouldn’t feel the tiredness. I see kids all around with faces absorbed by phones and tablets, choosing a computer game instead of a game outside with friends. I see more and more kids  having trouble making friends, because they don’t know how to do it. I know the digital world is attractive for all of us, but maybe now more than ever we have to understand the importance of any type of activity that keeps our minds and bodies healthy and balanced. Let’s not get to see a world like Wall-E’s. I will not advocate for the complete elimination of all digital attractions in our lives and especially our children lives, but I hope we understand soon that we need to limit the time we spend and more importantly the time they spend on computers and other gadgets, especially at early ages. We now know the effects, studies have been made so we can all understand what we are doing wrong, people have wrote about it, talked about it, so it’s up to each and every one of us to take measures. Just Google it 🙂 ; the information is already there.

Erica now rarely sees the tablet or the phone, and she has limited time watching TV cartoons too. There was a time when we did the mistake of letting her almost every day to play on the tablet for 30 minutes – 1 hour, and she always wanted more. It was never enough. During that time, she was so absorbed about what was happening there that she wouldn’t even hear us if we would say something to her. After a few weeks of allowing her to play with the tablet on daily basis, we observed that it was getting harder to take it away from her. So we had to take it away for good. For a while she asked about the tablet, now she barely remembers that we have one. 🙂

So, especially when it comes to kids, it’s time to get back to the “old style” games. Encourage them to run, jump, dance, paint, play all sorts of games, try all sorts of sports. I never understood how much it helped to have the childhood I had, but now I do, and is this kind of childhood I want my daughter to have. An even better one I hope.

[RO] CONCURS
[Am scris in romana pentru ca e un concurs doar pentru Romania si parte dintr-o campanie de promovare a sportului la copii]

Nu stiu la voi cum e, dar la noi joaca asta vine de multe ori cu vanatai sau zgarieturi, asa ca avem tot timpul o sumedenie de plasturi si bandaje pe care sa le folosim, sau pe care le foloseste Erica sa bandajeze si papusile. De cand a venit vara si picioarele Ericai nu mai sunt protejate de pantaloni, este posesoarea unui numar impresionant de semne de “joaca fericita”. Ne ajuta in mod special cele cu personaje , pentru ca nu stiu daca stiati, dar “Hello Kitty are puteri magice si vindeca bubita mult mai repede” :). Nu stiu ce puteri magice are Kitty,  dar povestea functioneaza cand copilul se incapataneaza si urla sa nu atinga nimeni si nimic bubita.

Salvequick Hello Kitty

In alta ordine de idei, de curand am aflat ca Salvequick (prima companie ce a creat plasturii ambalati individual) s-a alaturat altor companii ce promoveaza sportul de la varste fragede si uite asa am primit pentru voi un set de badmiton si faimosul joc “Elasticul” :)) – Va mai aduceti aminte de Elastic? Cate ore topaiam si cate cazaturi luam :)! Eu am si o sugestie de vreme reanoi jucam badminton in casa cu baloane. Erica reuseste sa loveasca balonul, si balonul reuseste sa nu faca ravagii in casa.

IMG_8203

Ca sa intrati in concurs si sa castigati setul de badminton si “Elasticul” trebuie sa imi spuneti aici in zona de comentarii care era jocul preferat din copilarie.  

Concursul se desfasoara in perioada 18 – 31 iulie 2016 iar castigatorul este stabilit prin tragere la sorti cu random.org.

Hai la joaca! 🙂

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